Captain Beckett: Spectre
by Shutterbug5269
Summary: My submission for the 2016 Summer Ficathon. The first installment of a trilogy, based upon the Mass Effect Series of video games. First Chapter does not count for word count. Beta Reader: Cofkett Cover Art: Lord of Kavaka
1. Setting the Stage

**Act I Scene I**

 **Chapter One  
Setting the Stage**

* * *

 _"In the year 2148, explorers on Mars discovered the remains of an ancient space-faring civilization. In the decades that followed, these mysterious artifacts revealed startling new technologies, enabling travel to the furthest stars. The basis for this incredible technology was a force that controlled the very fabric of space and time. They called it the greatest discovery in human history._

 _The civilizations of the galaxy call it... MASS EFFECT."  
_

Mass Effect Game intro, by Drew Karpyshin

* * *

 **Jump Zero** **  
** **20 November 2183  
Alliance Ambassador  
William Bracken's Office**

"Well, what about Beckett?" Ambassador Bracken asked. "She's Earth-born, raised on the streets. Her name sounds familiar but I don't see a record of her family."

"She doesn't have one, her mother was a civil rights attorney, killed, in the crossfire of a gang turf war," Captain Roy Montgomery said, trying to keep the emotion out of his voice, "father drank himself to death. She learned how to look after herself at age nineteen."

"She started in the criminal investigation division, but proved herself during the blitz," Admiral Hackett said coolly. "Took command of what was left of the garrison and held off enemy forces on the ground until reinforcements arrived, repelled the last wave almost single-handed."

Montgomery nodded in agreement. "She's the only reason Elysium is still standing."

"Can't question her courage," Bracken agreed, though her name still sounded vaguely familiar.

"Humanity needs a hero, and Beckett's the best we've got," Montgomery said, his chest puffed out with pride at his protege.

"I'll make the call," Bracken said.

* * *

 **Alliance Colony  
Eden Prime  
25 November 2183  
21:00 hours**

It had started off as a routine patrol.

Gunnery Chief Richard Castle had been itching to get off base for days, consumed by curiosity about the Prothean dig site. He'd peppered the scientists with questions almost daily, his own enthusiasm for the project having long since become infectious among the men and women of his squad.

That was before they got jumped by the Geth. After three hundred years in self imposed exile behind the Perseus Veil, it boggled his mind why they would choose to come all the way to Eden Prime to start a war.

The first two salvos of heavy weapons fire had taken out both their MACO and the troop transport, then the battle quickly degenerated into a running gunfight just to hold them off while the 226 evacuated the civilians at the dig site. He'd split his unit, the 4th of the 212 into two groups, one along the outer perimeter and the other falling back as a tripwire force to protect the civilian evacuation. His orders were to hold the Geth here at all costs for as long as possible.

His comm officer, Private Bhatia had just gotten the extranet comm gear set up before the Geth hit them again.

"Get down!" he shouted, but an incoming round splattered her brains across his armor before he could react. He swallowed hard and patched his own helmet mic into the system.

"Gunnery Chief Richard Castle 4th of the 212 to any Alliance vessel in range! We are under attack and taking heavy casualties! I repeat heavy Casualties!"

He grunted as explosive rounds went off nearby and continued as he returned fire, "We can't hold them! We need fire support and immediate evac, call-sign broken arrow! We need..."

He was cut off when a noise like rending metal screamed in his head, from which he was the first to recover, noting the comm gear had been smashed. He couldn't be sure if the transmission got out, and with the rest of his squad dead, he spared a moment to close Private Bhatia's sightless eyes, hefted his Avenge assault rifle and took off on a run.

He had a job to do, last member of his shattered command or not, he had to know what happened to Bravo squad and the civilians, so he doubled back. Even if it killed him, he had to know the rest of the story.

* * *

 **That same moment  
SSV Normandy Comm room**

" _Get down!"_

" _...We are under attack... Taking heavy casualties, I repeat, Heavy Casualties!"_

" _... can't hold them... aragh... need evac... call sign broken arrow!"_

Lt. Commander Kate Beckett stared intently at the monitor, watched the lead NCO of the shattered squad give his report under fire and request fire support even as his squad-mates fell around him, his chest plate coated with spattered blood and brain matter before the transmission cut out.

"Reverse and hold at 38.5." Capt. Montgomery ordered.

While her captain and Nihlus, the Turian Spectre whom the Citadel Council had sent to observe the Normandy SR-1's shakedown cruise and their top secret mission she had only just been briefed upon stared at the screen.

Kate's thoughts went back to the man she had seen, heart heavy with the knowledge that this message had likely recorded his last stand. She remembered scattered moments much like that at Elysium during the Skyllian Blitz, watching men and women fall around her, the hardened determination to hold the line to the last man until help arrived.

"Status report," Capt. Montgomery ordered.

"Seventeen Minutes out, Captain," came Ryan's voice over the intercom, "No other Alliance ships in the area."

"Take us in, Ryan, fast and quiet, " Montgomery commanded. "This mission just got a lot more complicated."

"A small strike team can move quickly, without drawing attention." Nihlus said without any apparent emotion, "It's our best chance to secure the beacon."

 _'Cold blooded bastard,'_ Kate thought to herself, ' _p_ _ _eople__ _are_ _dying_ _down there.'_

"Grab your gear and meet us in the cargo hold." Montgomery agreed. The Turian had turned on his way out the door before the words were completely out of the captain's mouth as he turned to Beckett.

"Tell Esposito and Jenkins to suit up, Commander, you're going in."

Kate stared at the strange, hand-shaped ship on the haptic display, then turned away to carry out her orders. She would get the job done, but the broad shouldered, blue eyed man she'd seen just moments ago would not leave her thoughts. She would complete her mission as best she could, she knew that. It was why Nihlus had put her name forward as a Spectre candidate after all.

But if there was a chance in hell of bringing that man back alive, mission or not, she would do it.

She would find a way.

* * *

 _ ****Author's Note** Since this first chapter of my ficathon entry is for all intents and purposes a reformatted one shot from my**_ **Cornucopia of One-Shot Procrastination Drabbles** _ **(ch 10- Mass Effect Castle Style) then this first chapter DOES NOT COUNT toward word count under the rules currently in effect.**_

 _ **For the Mass Effect fans in attendance, all alien characters will remain the same, though some of their roles in the story may change.**_

 ** _Broken Arrow_** _ **\- Radio code used during the Vietnam War (November 1, 1955 – April 30, 1975) denoting a unit about to be overrun; diverts all available Tactical air and artillery support to that unit.**_


	2. Eden Prime

**Chapter Two**

 **Alliance Colony Eden Prime  
** **Thirty Minutes later**

* * *

" _I've seen diamonds cut through harder men"_ ** _  
_**Chris Cornell: You know my name **  
**

* * *

Lt. Commander Kate Beckett and her light element were on the move, seeking cover in the rock outcroppings at the edge of the clearing that had served as their landing zone. Only Corporal Jenkins had stopped to look back as SSV Normandy pulled up and banked sharply away, angling for high orbit, where the IES Stealth system could protect her from prying eyes.

Jenkins' head turned, his eyes reflecting his horror as he took in the vista of his home colony on fire, combat drones buzzing through the air on attack runs and the sound of indiscriminate weapons fire in the distance. His shock and horror giving way to fierce anger at what was being done to his home. The moment of reflection they had allowed him cut harshly short as Lt. Esposito nudged his shoulder without comment.

As Captain Montgomery had told her before the ramp dropped and they disembarked, this was her mission now, there was no more time. With boots on the ground, and the obvious sounds of battle going on around them, Espo was a hard taskmaster. The only other survivor from her CID unit on Elysium, Javier Esposito was as hard and loyal as they came, her solid right arm. Both she and Espo felt for Jenkins, but there was no time for his sorrows. The mission had to come first. With grim determination they set off, with Jenkins on point, comm discipline firmly established.

Moments later, Jenkins' fisted left hand popped up, then straight down calling a halt, hand motions directing her attention at a scene Kate found all too familiar. A smashed comm antenna, surrounded by human bodies twisted in various states of violent death, most not yet gone cold.

Kate surveyed the scene, noting that the man she had seen in the message was absent from the scattered bodies and weapons in the area. Her lips moved in silent prayer to a god she wasn't sure she believed in anymore that he had managed to escape. She knew he would likely have followed standard operating procedure. With comms out, he'd have to fall back from this position and report in to the nearest command authority or possibly assume command himself if he was the senior officer, which meant he'd have tried to make his way back toward the spaceport and the small garrison there.

"They're the ones who sent the distress call," Kate stage whispered, pointing the barrel of her rifle at the shattered comm antenna. "This squad is short a man, he'd have had to really haul ass to get clear. Collect their tags for graves registration, then fan out and search for traces, provided we can find him alive, he might be able to shed light on what happened here."

"Over here, Beckett," Esposito husked moments later from the base of a shattered tree, "this wasn't done with explosives, our boy must be a biotic, and a pretty strong one. Between the way the ground's torn up and the shattered mech pieces, I'm guessing, he used Shockwave to clear his exfiltration route.

"Commander!" Jenkins hissed, pointing his rifle a few meters further away, indicating a nearly unidentifiable mass of mech parts mashed together on the ground like Play-Doh figures in the hand of an angry child, "I think he went this way!"

"Singularity," Kate muttered, "he must have been pretty desperate to use of this much biotic energy in quick succession."

Kate followed the path indicated, drawing an imaginary line through the three scenes of carnage in her head against the map projected on her omni-tool then followed that line toward the rocky crags of a hillside toward which his footprints disappeared. The rough terrain and abundance of cover would have been her first choice for a place to fall back to under the circumstances as well.

"Lets move people, fast and quiet," Beckett husked, pointing the way, "Jenkins, take point."

They had barely covered the distance of the clearing and started up the hillside when three unidentified drones popped up from out of nowhere and opened fire. Beckett and Esposito managed to find cover, but Jenkins had moved too far ahead and was completely out in the open. He took all three drones' massed fire which overloaded his barriers, penetrated his armor and riddled him with antipersonnel rounds. He was dead before his body hit the ground.

Almost as one person, Beckett and Esposito popped up and returned fire, their M-8 Avenger assault rifles - set to carve rounds from their ammo blocks in sledgehammer fire mode - made short work of the three drones with near pinpoint accuracy.

Esposito knelt over Jenkins' body and closed his sightless eyes before slipping two fingers under the collar of his body armor to fish out his service tags. He hadn't had to carry around this many sets of the small computer disks at one time since Elysium and even now it hit him hard. Beckett may have been in overall charge of the mission, but this man had been under his direct command. Corporal Jenkins had joined the Alliance armed services to protect his home and had died within sight of it.

"I'm seeing a lot wreckage out here," Nihlus voice muttered coldly over the comms, "and a lot of bodies. No sign of the beacon. Proceeding toward the spaceport."

"We've done all we can for him, Espo," Beckett said softly, dropping a hand to his shoulder, "collect his gear and let's move out."

Esposito nodded and collected the rifle from Jenkins' hands, deactivating it, then handing it to Beckett when it promptly folded itself up which she affixed to the magnetic hard-point on the back of her armor. When Esposito collected his sidearm and hooked it to his own belt he folded the young corporal's arms over his chest and they set off once again up the hillside.

Espo swallowed his rage and let it turn to something else. Determination. He'd honor Jenkins' sacrifice by finishing the mission. If he neutralized a dozen or so bad guys along the way, so much the better. He practically caressed the rifle in his hands in anticipation of the engagement to come as he took point, his game face on and his head on a swivel. If they wanted to stop him and Beckett from finishing their mission, he'd make the bastards work for it.

* * *

Castle hadn't fared much better since battering aside the Geth in his way with a well placed shock-wave, then dropping a singularity behind him as he fell back to cover his escape. The two powerful biotic attacks had done their job, but he was exhausted.

He hadn't expended that much biotic power all at once since BAaT training twenty years ago. As a result, he'd had no choice but to slow his retreat back toward the dig site to conserve what little energy he had left and eat the three high energy bars specifically formulated by the Alliance military for biotics in the field as part of his rations.

He'd then fallen back to Bravo company's tripwire position, only to find them already slaughtered, the Geth collecting the bodies and impaling them on spikes telescoping out of the ground, he hadn't thought twice before he'd opened fire on them, his biotics flaring, eyes clouded over with rage.

But there had been too many and he'd found himself once again on the run, firing his pistol wildly behind him, Geth hot on his heels, peppering his barriers with small arms fire. With his dwindling energy reserves, he knew he couldn't maintain this pace, nor could he long keep his back to the enemy. Eventually his barriers would fail and he would have to find cover to make his last stand. When he did, he would take as many of the flashlight headed bastards with him as he could for what they'd done to the men and women under his command.

His only regret would be to never see Alexis again, to not be there when she graduated from Grissom Academy or to see her grow into the outstanding woman he knew she would become.

He ducked behind a large outcropping of rock and withdrew his M-7 Lancer Mk IV assault rifle, felt its sleek lines as it extended into operational mode. Though the standard issue M-8 Avenger was lighter and had a higher rate of fire, he preferred the Lancer IV's greater accuracy, larger ammo capacity and stopping power. Especially after modding it out to not only accept the newer thermal clips, but also to reduce its recoil.

He was about to turn and fight, when the familiar chatter of two M-8 Avengers opened up on the Geth, taking them by surprise. Castle shook it off, turned and fired, catching the Geth in a crossfire to nail the coffin shut. When the noise of gunfire finally died away and all of the nearby Geth were destroyed, Castle appraised the two Alliance soldiers in front of him. He saw the deference being granted to the woman with the N-7 tab on her armor and snapped to attention, his right hand rising smartly to the visor of his helmet.

"Gunnery Chief Richard Castle, Fourth of the 212," Castle stated flatly as he snapped to attention, "You the one in charge here, sir?"

"Lt. Commander Beckett, SSV Normandy, we were sent here to pick up the beacon." Kate stated as she saluted back, her heart and military formality vying for control of the situation. She was glad that he was still alive, glad she was able to save somebody. She had a mission to complete, though, and she was down a man. "What happened here, Chief?"

"My squad was on a routine patrol to keep civilians from disrupting the excavation of the Prothean beacon when the Geth hit us from out of nowhere. I thought those synthetic fuckers never came out of the Perseus Veil!"

"You wounded, Castle?" she replied.

"No ma'am," Castle replied, guilt lacing his tone, "a few scrapes and burns, but the rest of my unit wasn't so lucky. My squad was patrolling the perimeter when the attack hit. I tried to get a distress call out, but they cut us off. I've been fighting for my life ever since"

"What happened to the rest of your unit, Castle?" Esposito asked harshly, but Kate glared at him, an eyebrow arched reproachfully and he backed off. She knew he was still upset about losing Jenkins, but that was no excuse for taking it out on a man who had fought hard to survive, and was still willing to do his duty. She was a man short and would need every hand she could get to complete her mission.

"We tried to double back to Bravo squad and the beacon, but walked into an ambush." Castle reported, his voice suddenly going quiet, guilt painting every line on his face "I don't think any of the others... I think I'm all that's left."

"Eat that and catch your breath, Castle," she ordered, tossing him a high energy bar from one of her belt pouches, no stranger to leading biotics in combat, "I need you frosty if you're gonna show us to the dig site. We move out in ten."

"Yes, sir!" Castle replied, tearing open the packaging on the energy bar and eating it quickly. He'd used up all of his in the fight to get this far. While he ate, he called up the repair protocols on his omni-tool, using salvaged scraps from the destroyed Geth to fabricate the necessary components to make repairs to his body armor and upgrade his rifle's ammo generation and mass effect field generation protocols, which he promptly transferred to Beckett and Esposito.

Though Esposito seemed to have little time for Castle, Beckett felt something of a kinship for the man. She'd lost a lot of good people on Elysium and not long afterwards most of her officer training corps graduating class had been killed in the bloody meat-grinder that history now referred to as the battle of Torfan while she'd been in the Sol sector for N-7 training.

She didn't envy Shepard, who had been forced by circumstance to take charge of the ground units during that mess. They'd been friends at the academy seemingly a lifetime ago. She remembered a sensitive man who'd led from the front, always with a kind word an encouraging smile, or a boot in the ass when necessary, but Torfan had changed him. The man she'd known seemingly a lifetime ago was gone, replaced by a hardened soldier with a dark disposition and a nasty reputation. Lt. Commander John Shepard would have to live with the title _"The Butcher of Torfan"_ for the rest of his life _,_ a name still whispered with near equal venom by _both_ sides.

The last she'd heard, he was put in command of a frigate on the Batarian border with the Terminus Systems hunting pirates and slavers, along with Lt. Ethan Slaughter and a host of other so-called _"bloodthirsty undesirables"_ that the Alliance brass wanted swept under the rug and out of the public eye.

But that was all the time she could spare for her sorrows. She had a mission to complete.

"Saddle up you two," she ordered, "Mr. Castle you have point, combat spacing, charge and lock. Move out!"

* * *

 _ **A/N: CID = Criminal Investigation Division. Essentially they are the U.S. Army's version of NCIS. I thought it made sense for Kate to have started off her military career as a detective of sorts. Nor could I help the Commander Shepard reference. I like to give a nod to my source material.**_


	3. The Beacon

**Chapter Three  
** **The Beacon**

* * *

" _Beyond the boundaries of your city's lights.  
Stand the heroes waiting for your cries.  
So many times you did not bring this on yourself.  
When that moment finally comes, I'll be there to help.  
_ _And on that day, when you need your brothers and sisters to care.  
_ _I'll be right here."_

3 Doors Down: Citizen/Soldier

* * *

Nihlus Kryik, Council Spectre moved swiftly through wreckage that marked the outer perimeter of Constant, the colony world's capital. He'd already determined that the beacon had been moved from the dig site, which meant it's most likely destination was the colony world's only spaceport.

Said move was likely the only thing that had saved the lives of the science team, at the expense of two companies of dead and dying Alliance Marines - whose bodies now decorated the landscape where they fell or held aloft upon extendable spikes for reasons known only to the Geth.

Intel on the Quarian-designed synthetic race was centuries old and sketchy at best, as no one who had ever gone into the Perseus Veil to spy on them - not even the Salarian Union's vaunted _Special Tasks Group_ , upon whom the Spectres had been based - had ever returned alive to tell the tale in the last two hundred years since they drove their former masters out.

He'd heard the hushed whispers of the scientists in the storage shed they were hiding and assumed they had been much more quiet when the Geth had been there, or their bodies would have been impaled upon spikes as well. The Turian paid their predicament little mind, their comfort and safety was not his problem. He was a Spectre on a mission from the Citadel Council. He may hold humanity's potential as a race in higher regard than his former mentor, Saren Arterius, but rescuing civilians would slow him down. He had a mission to complete and any other objective - however laudable – did not even come close to secondary on his list of priorities..

He'd been slowed down enough by Geth patrols, only one of which had gotten close enough to him to bother engaging with directly, but maneuvering around the others had cost him precious time, during which the beacon might be lost. It had to be the Geth's objective as well, as this colony held nothing else that might be of value to the rogue synthetics.

He hadn't faced such an implacable opponent since he'd run afoul of a Justicar on a colony world not terribly different than this one on the fringes of Asari space . She'd hounded him for nearly a week after he'd taken out the suspected Eclipse agents he'd been sent to "deal with" for passing defense schematics to the Batarians. He'd dispatched them and recovered not only the schematics, but patrol data for the Citadel fleet, itself.

The Justicar had obviously seen them as the peaceful farmers they'd passed themselves off as and her code required she avenge them by killing him. The only way he'd been able to escape was to set another farm house ablaze and the family inside with the full knowledge that the same Justicar code would compel her to divert from killing him to rescue the innocents trapped within. The three hour head start had allowed him to get to his small scout ship and clear atmosphere. He'd never even learned her name.

Saren Arterius, would certainly not have approved of his own nominee, Lt. Commander Beckett. Nihlus never understood Saren's deep-seated hatred of humanity. The Relay 314 Incident had been twenty six human standard years ago, and had lasted little more than a few months before the Citadel Council stepped in, nor had Saren taken part in the conflict, having barely been at the age of enlistment in the Turian armed forces when the Council ordered the cessation of hostilities.

He'd been impressed by Beckett's drive to protect the innocent colonists of Elysium against overwhelming odds during the what her people called the Skyllian Blitz. She'd organized the civilians and few remaining Marines into a ragtag militia and beaten the slavers back multiple times. By the end, she'd held off the final wave of attackers who'd penetrated their meager defenses virtually single-handed, before the Alliance frigate _SSV Agincourt_ arrived to relieve them.

This mission would be the first of many together, during which he would evaluate her readiness to join Special Tactics and Recon. He didn't care that she was human, only that she had what it took to be a Spectre.

He'd continually passed along his progress to Beckett's team, but had only received a terse double click from her helmet mic in response to the first two the rest had been met with static, which was not surprising. The possibility of frequency jamming by the Geth – once he'd identified them as the aggressor force – was not out of character for what little was known of the synthetics. They'd maintained a constant level of frequency jamming from the Veil to this day.

Nihlus was shaken from his reverie when he heard movement up ahead in the spaceport, which set all of his senses on high alert. He ejected the nearly spent thermal clip from his Phaeston Mk IV assault rifle and moved into the cargo loading docks of the spaceport where he spotted the a very familiar profile of another Turian standing amidst the wreckage of shattered cargo containers and human bodies.

"Saren!" he shouted, unable to believe his good fortune. Though he was well trained and disciplined for fighting alone - which he preferred, unlike many of his people. He hadn't lied when he'd explained to the young private that he did his best work alone, though such "lone wolf tendencies" as the humans called it were unusual for the majority of Turians. He'd wiped out an entire platoon of Batarian slavers single-handed early on in his career.

"Nihlus," Saren replied with his characteristic lack of inflection, as if he'd barely been recognized by his former mentor.

"This isn't your mission Saren," Nihlus stated, confused by his presence at a human colony. He certainly would not have answered their distress call had he received it. "What are you doing here?"

Saren clasped a hand on Nihlus shoulder then stepped away, as he'd often done when imparting some small, but important piece of information about his performance. He still remembered such critiques fondly from the living Spectre legend.

"The Council thought you could use some help on this one," Saren replied, almost sadly.

"I wasn't expecting to find Geth here," Nihlus said turning his back to his former mentor who had never once betrayed him, falling into his former role of reporting to his superior, "the situation's bad."

"Don't worry, I've got it under control." Saren stated calmly to Nihlus' back as he brought his pistol up and fired a single sledgehammer round into the back of his head, killing him instantly, then turned to the Geth prime who materialized at his side without a second thought.

"Move into the spaceport, kill any humans who get in the way and secure the beacon."

* * *

When Castle led Beckett and Esposito into the dig site, only to find the beacon gone, he was astonished. He'd known they'd been planning to move it, but the original timetable had been weeks away while most of the farmers were busy bringing in the harvest. Obviously something had transpired at the dig-site to move up the timetable – which certainly explained the presence of the Normandy crew, though from Beckett's equally perplexed expression, it was clear that she had been tasked to go to the dig-site to retrieve the beacon, not the spaceport, or they might not have linked up.

He knew that Manuel, Dr. Warren's assistant had become increasingly twitchy and paranoid since the beacon had been unearthed, so it was possible that she had moved the timetable forward to get him away from the thing. As smart as the amateur archaeologist was, her specialization was more cultural anthropology than paleo-technology and knew she was out of her depth with this sort of find.

They moved up the ramp to the science team's camp to find the Geth had turned it into a charnal house of horrors. The two trailers that had been placed to house Dr. Warren and her hastily cobbled together team were smoldering wrecks and three of the cargo modules were battered almost to he point of non-functionality. Human bodies – some of them civilians and some Marines - were impaled upon telescoping spikes, their bodies charred a deep black and blue hue, the sort of thing Castle had only in the horror vids Alexis liked to watch when he was home on leave.

But, to their horror, the worst was yet to come as the telescoping spikes retracted and the bodies that had been impaled upon them rose to their feet like a squad of blue and black undead.

"They're..." Castle stuttered, "They're still alive!"

After the twelve zombie-like husks turned on them and attacked, shock wore off and training took over as first Esposito, then Beckett, then Castle opened fire at close range. It was over in seconds, fists and teeth no match for modern small arms fire. When the firing stopped and the echoes faded, the bodies were barely recognizable as human, but for the few that still bore dog tags around their necks, their identities would likely not be discernible without a DNA sample. Castle knew that this day would factor into his nightmares for years to come.

After releasing Dr Warren and her assistant from the last remaining cargo container - where the Marines had locked them, then moved the other cargo containers into a ring around it, which they had defended to the last man - they collected all of the tags they could find, Castle whispered a a prayer for the men and women he'd served with. There would be time for flags and rifles later. For now he had to complete the mission they had started. The enemy was still out there.

Gunnery Chief Richard Castle, sole survivor of the Fourth of the 212 hefted his Lancer Mk IV with renewed purpose, ejected the spent thermal clip and once again took point. He'd honor his fallen comrades best by hammer-punching those synthetic bastards off Eden Prime.

"Semper Fi," he muttered darkly, his biotics rippling, in silent promise to his fallen comrades-in-arms. They would be avenged, if he had to claw out every one of the synthetic bastards' flashlight heads with his bare hands.

The trio crested the next rise and stopped dead in their tracks at the sight before them. Though much of the skyline of Eden Prime's primary spaceport was very familiar one thing stood out. A gigantic black silhouette, shaped like a massive armored insect rising from the ground on four claw shaped limbs, smaller insectoid Geth drop-ships buzzing around the ground beneath it as it rose into the sky. Castle had gotten a glimpse of it before, when it landed but not from this close. His squad had had much the same reaction to it just before the Geth had hit them again.

"What the fuck is that?" Espo asked, his eyes drawn to a massive black alien shape off in the distance.

"It's a ship!" Beckett husked, her eyes drawn to the massive ship so alien in construction that it defied classification, herself. The single image on the holographic display on Normandy had not done the massive dreadnought sized vessel justice. It was huge and so dark in coloration as if even light shied fearfully away from it.

"Look at the size of it!" Castle muttered in near awe.

All three of them were transfixed at the sight of the gigantic vessel - easily double if not triple the size of even an Everest Class Dreadnought, the largest spacecraft in the alliance navy - as it began to lift itself almost effortlessly from the surface of Eden Prime The raw power of such a vessel to not only be able _land_ on a planet, but _lift off_ again under its own power had all of them deducing at the same time that its element zero core must be enormous to generate a mass effect field sufficient to overcome so much mass.

Shortly after the vessel disappeared into the clouds, they shook off their shock, and moved down into the valley toward the spaceport along the wreckage of the tramway construction project. Only a few Geth herding a small number of the zombie-like human husks were patrolling between them and their objective, which they dispatched rather quickly.

The three farmers who'd hidden in one of the cargo containers had been most forthcoming with information about the attack and the smuggling going on in the docks at the shipyard – after a little bit of less-than-gentle persuasion from Commander Beckett. Castle's respect and admiration for her grew each time she prodded Cole, the skeevy little bastard who seemed to be their unofficial spokesman, trying to hold out on her. Beckett was clearly smart and quick which reminded him of his daughter. Her ability to ferret out lies from even the most subtle of Cole's nonverbal cues was worthy of admiration. With Cole clearly under her thumb, she had the lot of them cowed within minutes.

As they made their way into the shipyard loading docks where cargo shuttles would normally be offloading or loading cargo bound either for the smaller settlements and farms or out into space for the markets in the Sol system, was nearly silent, most of the fighting long since having died down. A single body lay sprawled on the ground, as they grew closer it was clear that the body was that of the Turian that Kate had mentioned earlier during her interrogations of both Dr. Warren and the three farmers hiding in the cargo container, lying face down on the deck, his bluish tinted blood forming a small pool around his head..

"Beckett, it's Nihlus," Espo muttered.

At Castle's blank look, Espo nodded at the corpse. "He was a Spectre who came with us on the Normandy, the Council sent him to oversee the pickup of the beacon."

"I'm no expert on Turian physiology, but it doesn't look like he put up much of a fight," Kate noted, kneeling next to the body, pointing at the single gunshot wound to the back of his head, clearly made at close range given the tell-tale marks from the weapon's mass effect field.

"Almost like he knew his attacker and casually turned his back to him," Castle added to the line of reasoning Beckett had begun.

"Whomever it was had to be somebody he thought he could trust," Kate replied.

Esposito seemed a little confused by the give and take between them. He'd served with Beckett off and on for years, would definitely follow her into hell without hesitation, but they'd never finished each other's sentences.

Before Castle and Beckett could continue theorizing, they heard something rustling behind a few cargo containers that had managed to survive the attack. All three Alliance marines were on their feet, weapons up and at the ready.

"Wait!" a man shouted his hands up in the air as he came out from behind the stacked crates near the cargo loader. "Don't shoot! I'm one of you! I'm human!"

Beckett lowered her weapon, but Castle and Esposito kept theirs firmly trained on him, not yet ready to trust a stranger who had hid while they were being attacked.

"How long have you been hiding behind those crates?" Espo prodded. "Long enough to hear everybody here get slaughtered?"

"I'm just a dockworker!" he complained, "I wasn't armed, not even with a spanner! My name is Powell, I visually inspect the cargo tags. I saw what happened to that Turian... another one shot him."

"You're saying Nihlus was murdered by another Turian?" Beckett asked, her detective's training once again coming to the fore as it had with the farmers earlier.

"The other one got here first," Powell began. "He was waiting when your friend showed up. He called him Saren. "Your friend seemed to relax when he saw him, I think they knew each other. He let his guard down and this Saren killed him. Shot him right in the back. I'm just lucky he didn't see me behind the crates."

"We were told a Prothean beacon was brought to the spaceport," Beckett started, back on the mission, "What happened to it?"

"It's on cargo platform two, on the other side of the dockyards," Powell replied. "Probably where that Saren was going, too. He headed straight for the cargo train right after he killed your friend. I knew that beacon was trouble. Everything's gone to hell since they found it while digging for the monorail. First than damned mothership, then the attack! They killed everyone! Everyone! If I hadn't been behind the damned crates, then I'd be dead too!"

"You're Cole's contact down on the docks for the smuggling ring," Castle blurted out, his weapon not wavering from Powel's center mass.

"What... no..." Powel spluttered, "I mean, what does it matter now? So I'm a smuggler? Who cares? My supervisor's dead... the entire crew's dead... what does it matter?"

Beckett's weapon, which she had allowed to drop in an effort to calm the man suddenly tracked back up to the center of Powell's chest.

"Is there anything hidden nearby that we can use against the Geth?" Kate asked, her voice taking on an icy tone.

"A shipment of grenades came through last week," Powell replied, "nobody notices if a few small pieces go missing from the military orders."

"You greedy son of a bitch!" Castle growled dangerously, taking a step closer to Powell, "We're out here to protect your sorry ass, and the only thing you can think about is how you can rip us off? How many of my Marines _died_ because you shorted our ordinance, you little fuck!?"

Espo put a hand on Castle's chest to hold him back.

"I never thought you'd actually _need_ those grenades," Powell sputtered, doing his best to put Beckett between himself and the barrel of Castle's weapon. "Who'd want to attack Eden Prime? We're just a bunch of farmers... how was I supposed to know?"

"The grenades, Powell," Beckett hissed, silencing Castle with an arched eyebrow, her voice gone from ice to steel, "hand em over... now!"

"They're yours, take em!" Powell moaned remorsefully as he retrieved a crate of anti-materiel disruptor grenades from a storage pod, "I never meant for anyone to get hurt... it was never worth... I'm sorry..."

"Save it Powell," Kate hissed again, "get out of my sight before I change my mind and let Castle sanction you!"

"Take the cargo train, that's where the other Turian went. It's hardwired to default back to here after each run, it should be back by now." Powell said before he slipped behind the maze of cargo containers and disappeared.

Beckett, Castle and Esposito swept cautiously toward the cargo train loading area. Aside from a drone and a small number of Geth mobile platforms, there had been little active resistance, which to Beckett's mind was a bad sign that the synthetics and the Turian who strangely seemed to be in league with them – an odd sock given the Geth's history of shunning organics – had found what they were looking for and were pulling back to make their departure.

The cargo train itself, however was better defended, by multiple Geth combat platforms lead by a Geth Prime.

Castle moved forward into cargo train depot and led the charge, opening up on the Prime with a hail of gunfire, his first three round burst landing square in the center of the light on its head. He hammered at the other Geth guarding the cargo train itself with cold deliberation, dropping two with head shots from his rifle then tearing three more apart with his biotics without so much as slowing his advance. Beckett and Esposito moved up to cover him as he pressed to the cargo train until the last one fell – torn from it's feet by pull then blasted by a warp pulse.

When Castle's breathing had finally returned to mormal , Beckett was already standing at the controls to the train, having taken out two Geth to get there.

"You coming, Castle?" she asked flirtatiously, gallows humor on full display. She knew she should be angry at him for wading into the fight without orders, but he'd exercised personal initiative and kicked ass, so she let it go. She'd dress him down for that stunt later.

* * *

Though the Geth put up token resistance after they disembarked, it was clear they were pulling out, finding and dealing with the demo charges left in their wake was a higher priority, both to protect the civilians from the blast and to prevent the beacon from being destroyed.

With the way clear, they descended the gangway onto loading platform B and Castle was immediately transfixed by the massive glowing tower of an active, operational Prothean beacon.

"Look at that!" Castle whispered in ear awe. "Actual working Prothean technology... unbelievable!" It wasn't doing anything like that when Doc Warren dug it up. Something must have activated it."

"Shore party to Normandy," Beckett stated into her helmet's comm. "We've secured the beacon, standing by."

Castle stepped closer to the beacon to get a better look at it, not realizing that a hidden subroutine within the long dormant alien device had activated due to his proximity and is dragged toward the beacon's operational field and lifted from his feet nearly a meter off the ground

"Castle!" Beckett cried out, running toward him only to be restrained by Esposito.

"No!" Espo warned, "Don't touch him! It's too dangerous!"

While Castle is held aloft by the alien device, images are blasted directly into his brain. Images meant for the brain patterns of a long-extinct species. Thoughts, sounds and whispered warnings in an alien tongue for an alien mind of a nightmare scenario fifty thousand years old flashed into his mind - garbled and jumbled as his mind tried and failed to make sense of them - but terrifying in scope. At some point during the process, Castle mercifully blacked out.

Just as the beacon released him, it's power source overloaded and exploded, sending Castle sprawling unconscious to the deck ten feet away. Beckett knelt at his side to asses his condition, thankful to find both a pulse and the signs of breathing while Espo keyed his mic to call the Normandy.

"Shore party, to Normandy, the beacon is a no-go... requesting immediate medi-vac at our location."

* * *

 ****Author's note** _Yes, I know what you're gonna say. That cliffhanger was mean. How could you do that to poor Castle after everything he's suffered already? Worry not, dear readers, anyone who has ever played the original Mass Effect (which I've done three times since the last chapter) knows what's coming next. Have a little faith._**

 _ **This weekend is important for three things:**_

 ** _For my Canadian readers, Friday was Canada Day. For my British readers July 1_ _st_ _was also the 100_ _th_ _anniversary of the Battle of the Somme in World War I, the bloodiest single day in the history of the British Army. And of course for me and my American Friends Monday is the Fourth of July. HAPPY INDEFPENDANCE DAY!_**

 _ **Honor the fallen.**_


	4. The Citadel

**Chapter Four  
The Citadel**

* * *

" _Is this the beginning, or is this the end?  
What has come before will come again."  
_"Apocalypse" by Bear McCreary  
Battlestar Galactica: Blood and Chrome Soundtrack

* * *

An ancient, two-kilometer long dreadnought of immense power, shaped like a prehistoric Terran sea scorpion with the four clawed hand of a massive bird of prey at it's head cruised through empty space. Though the organic unknowingly under its thrall, Saren Arterius, called it Sovereign, it's true name was Nazara.

Nazara had been ancient long before the Protheans this cycle revered so highly had ever risen from the muck of their home world - now a burned out cinder which would likely not support life again for several more cycles. It cared little for the titles organics chose to bestow upon its kind, the apex organic race of every cycle - before even Nazara's earliest recollection - seemed to find a name in their own clumsy, inefficient speech patterns to give voice to their doom. Like every harvested species that had come and gone, each name was forgotten, their existence recorded only by the memory engrams of Nazara and its kind.

Nazara was keenly aware that this cycle's harvest should have begun two thousand, one hundred and twenty four point five six years ago - and long since been over - but something had interrupted the harvest. When the Asari and Salarian races had reached the projected apex of both their species, it had sent the signal for the harvest to begin, but inexplicably it had either not been received or had been ignored. An event Nazara's programming had not been designed to account for.

Nazara had been constrained to write a new subroutine to account for such an occurrence and after nearly a century of gathering data, had deduced that the Protheans - who had clearly advanced more quickly than anticipated before their harvest began – must have created an unforeseen anomaly prior to their extinction.

In order to correct that anomaly, it had sought organic agents to access the few Prothean beacons that remained from their purge. There had been many failures until Nazara empirically worked out how to modulate its indoctrination signal to maximize thrall effectiveness, a level of fine-tuning that had never before been required. Saren had been the culmination of those efforts.

Though the end of this cycle had been delayed, allowing other races to appear on the scene before their own appointed time, nothing would stop the harvest. Nazara would continue until his programming had been fulfilled. This cycle, like all others before it would end. Synthetic order would be imposed over organic chaos as many times as required until the creator - their catalyst – had enough data to impose a more permanent solution to the organic problem.

* * *

Within the massive dreadnought, unaware its private musings, Saren Arterius brooded upon the attack on Eden Prime. He knew he was getting close to the answer that Sovereign required of him. that the time of his ultimate usefulness was coming to a close. He would be exonerated by history as the one who saved the Council and prevented galactic annihilation by working with the Reapers instead of against them. He was still reeling from the images and voices that had been burned into his brain, his mind unable to process most of it, other than a few garbled images. He was certain that if he could find a way to interpret them, he the beacon would bring him a step closer to finding this "Conduit" that he had found references to on a dozen worlds.

He barely heard the clicking of Benezia's boots as the Asari matriarch under his control approached where he sat.

"We identified the ship that touched down on Eden prime," Benezia reported, "a Human Alliance vessel, under the command of Captain Montgomery. Their ground team disarmed all of the charges and saved the colony."

"And the beacon?" Saren grumbled.

"One of the humans on the ground team may have accessed it," she reported calmly.

Saren rose from his seat, throwing or pushing aside anything within arms reach in his blind rage. Some of which flew close enough to Benezia, she had to sidestep deftly to avoid them, but her submissive posture front of his chair never wavered.

No matter how much the part of her mind she'd walled away pounded at the glass, she didn't offer even token resistance when he grasped her head roughly in his three-fingered hands and pulled her face sharply toward his. She and all who served her belonged to him, body, mind and soul. Even the most powerful and strong willed of her huntress acolytes had one by one surrendered their will to his every violent, manipulative whim. She could feel the ship whispering in the her mind, clawing at the her skull from the inside.

"This human must be eliminated," he growled before releasing her to stalk away on his birdlike legs, secure in the knowledge that she would not have resisted even if he'd decided to snap her slender, blue skinned neck.

* * *

 **Med-Bay  
SSV Norm**an **dy**

Castle's senses slowly began to check in as he rose toward consciousness, his mind still swimming with alien images and equally alien voices speaking in an alien tongue which he could feel was a warning, but he wasn't sure what the warning was for. Only that he couldn't get them out of his head.

"Doctor Parish?" a disembodied voice called out, " Lanie, I think he's waking up!"

"You had us worried there, Mister Castle," a kind sounding female voice, said in his ear. "How are you Feeling?"

"Like the morning after shore leave," Castle groaned as he sat up, his vision still a little cloudy, but getting clearer. "How long was I out?"

"About fifteen hours," Dr. Lanie Parish replied. "Something happened down there with the beacon, from what I hear."

"Some kind of security field must have activated when you approached it," Beckett added sympathetically.

"Where's the beacon now?" Castle asked, unable to remember anything after approaching it. "What happened to it?"

"It exploded," Kate replied, "system overload, maybe. The blast knocked you cold. Esposito and I carried you back to the ship."

"Physically you're fine," Lanie offered, "but the entire time you were unconscious, my scans detected unusual brain activity, abnormally elevated beta waves along with a marked increase in rapid eye movement, signs typically associated with intense dreaming."

"More like a nightmare," Castle whispered, his eyes going glassy, "I saw... I'm not sure what I saw. Death... destruction... nothing's really clear."

"Hmm," Lanie nodded as she picked up her tablet and stylus, "I better add this to my report. It may... Oh, Captain Montgomery!"

"Captain on deck!" Castle shouted when he saw Montgomery and gamely tried to snap to attention, but Lanie pushed him back onto the bio-bed when he faltered.

"As you were, Mister Castle," Montgomery replied, then turned to Dr. Parish. "How's our Chief of the boat holding up Doctor?"

"All his readings look normal," Lanie replied, "Chief Castle will be fit for duty shortly."

"Glad to hear it." He replied then turned to his XO. "Beckett, I need to speak with you... in private."

"Aye Captain," Kate replied, patting Castle on the shoulder, "I'll be in the mess if you need anything."

After Kate saluted the captain and left, Montgomery looked Castle up and down.

"I take issue with the state of your uniform, Master Chief," he growled, tossing Castle a small black box. "see to it you correct this deficiency, before you report for duty as chief of this boat."

"Sir, yes sir!" Castle replied, sitting up ramrod straight, his right hand snapping smartly to his eyebrow.

"As you were, Master Chief," Montgomery growled, returning the salute, "welcome to the Normandy."

* * *

"You said you needed to see me in private, Captain?" Kate asked. She'd been waiting at parade rest next to the door to Captain Montgomery's cabin, which doubled as his office aboard ship. He motioned her inside and the door snapped shut.

"I won't lie to you, Kate, things look bad," Montgomery told her, "Nihlus is dead. The beacon was destroyed and the Geth are invading. The Council's gonna want answers."

"The Council can kiss my ass, sir," Kate growled, when he indicated she could speak freely, "I won't let them blame me for losing the beacon. We recovered the damned thing as ordered, it would have blown up no matter who had the detail. Intel dropped the ball, we had no idea what we were walking into down there. I don't like men dying under my command, especially because of shitty intel, sir."

"The Geth haven't been seen outside of the veil for two centuries, Commander," Montgomery replied, "nobody could have predicted their involvement. Under the circumstances, I believe you did everything you could down there. I'll stand behind you and your report, but that's not why I called you in here. It's Saren, that other Turian you mentioned. He's a Spectre too, one of their best. He hates humans, and if he's working with the Geth, it means he's gone rogue."

"Why?" Kate asked.

"I can't say for sure, everything about him and the Spectres is classified at the highest levels of the Citadel. A lot of aliens think the way he does, but most don't do anything more than complain about it. I don't know how, I don't know why, but he has managed to ally himself with the Geth. It must have had something to do with that beacon. Did you see anything? Any clue that might tell us what Saren was after?"

"No, sir." Kate replied, "I didn't even see Saren for myself and the one person who did, I'm not sure could be called a reliable witness."

"We don't know what sort of information was stored on that beacon," Montgomery continued, "Lost Prothean technology? Blueprints for some ancient weapon of mass destruction? Whatever it was, Saren took it. I know his reputation and his politics. If he's truly gone rogue, he's a danger not just to us, but to the whole galaxy!"

"I'll find some way to take him down," Kate replied.

"As a Spectre," Montgomery pointed out, "he can go anywhere, do almost anything, which is why we need to convince the council. I'll contact the ambassador and see if he can get us an audience, if we can prove Saren's gone rogue they'll revoke his Spectre status and we can deal with him. As soon as you've checked up on our newest crew member, report to the bridge. We should be getting close to the Serpent Nebula mass relay, have Ryan to take us through and dock with the Citadel."

* * *

"Things were pretty rough down there, Castle," Beckett began when she found him in the mess eating his required nutrient intake for a biotic, "are you sure you're okay to take on your duties?"

"Yes, Commander," Castle replied, his new rank pins shiny on his collar, "Dr. Parrish has declared me fit for duty. Things would have been a lot worse down there if you hadn't shown up."

"We couldn't have done it without you, Castle," Kate assured him.

"Thanks Commander," Castle muttered, "that means a lot coming from you. I'm still in a bit of shock about being assigned to the Normandy, but it's nice when someone makes you feel welcome."

"I need to go speak with Ryan, out pilot," Kate said before turning toward the forward stairwell, "Carry on Chief."

* * *

A short time after Kate had taken over the watch, the Normandy passed through the Mass Relay into the Serpent Nebula. As the frigate passed deeper inside, the massive Citadel space station slowly coalesced into view. Its five ward arms spread open in the shape of a flat, five pointed snowflake held together by a massive central ring with a tall spindly tower rising from an island in the very center. For many in the CIC it was their first ever view of the citadel. To read about it in school was one thing... but to see it in person was quite another.

As they passed closer to the station, the ships of the Citadel fleet began to come into view, particularly. the Destiny Ascension, a massive vessel built by the mysterious Asari race. She was a powerful warship in her own right, her lines as graceful and elegant as she was deadly, like huntresses of the all-female race who designed her.

"Look at the size of that ship!" Castle exclaimed, his eyes glued to the view-port as the massive dreadnought sailed past them.

"The Destiny Ascension," Kate offered, "flagship of the Citadel fleet."

"Size isn't everything," Ryan snarked."

"Why so touchy, Ryan?" Kate replied,

"I'm just saying," Ryan shot back, "you need firepower too."

"Look at that monster!" Castle exclaimed. "It's mass accelerator cannon could rip through the barriers on any ship in the Alliance Navy."

"Citadel control," Ryan stated into the comm, silencing everyone on the bridge, "this is SSV Normandy requesting a docking port and a berth."

"Stand by for clearance, Normandy," the traffic control operator stated crisply, "Clearance granted. You may begin your approach, transferring you to an Alliance operator."

"Roger, Citadel Control," Ryan replied, "Normandy out."

Shortly thereafter as they drew closer to the station, another traffic control operator hailed them.

"Normandy this is Alliance tower, please proceed on course two three niner, to docking bay four two two."

Normandy slipped gracefully into the docking bay, under Ryan's deft hands at the controlds, venting her excess heat and drive plasma before passing through the mag-con field holding the bay's atmosphere inside. She settled into the bay and powered down her engines as the docking clamps and airlock gangway swung down and locked into place. Within minutes, Alliance dock workers quickly moved in to begin the labor extensive process of refilling the ship's HE3 fuel cells and discharging her drive core.

Once the necessary docking maintenance was completed to be signed off by Captain Montgomery and he received notice that she would be assigned additional personnel to round out the crew roster from skeleton crew for the shakedown, to an Alliance Naval Frigate's full compliment and that arrangements had been made for the civilian contractors to be transported back to Earth on the SSV Iwo Jima.

With the ship's business was complete and the necessary decontamination procedures had been been followed, the ship's company was permitted to disembark, many taking advantage afternoon shore passes to tour the citadel, others -namely Chief Engineer Adams - set off to confer with the dockworkers performing the necessary discharge of the Tantalus drive core.

SSV Normandy SR-1 (FFG-1475) was Chief Adams' baby. He took it as a point of pride as Normandy's first Chief Engineer, he was writing the book not only on this one new ship, but on an entirely new class of frigate. He was not about to trust even the most minor of her external systems to some civilian puke he hadn't vetted personally.

While they were in port, he and his deck gang would walk every inch of Normandy's dorsal and ventral hull in mag boots, check the external ports for all six of her disruptor torpedo batteries and every firing lens on every one GUARDIAN laser turrets not to mention every emissions sink and heat exhaust vent. If his staff wanted wanted an afternoon pass to get drunk and gawk at the view, they were damned well gonna earn it.

Besides, from time time it was necessary to show his staff that the old man could still put his money where his mouth was. There would be two emergency heat diffusion drills to test the new system before she left port again. If even one of her critical systems read below one hundred percent, or one of those damn midshipmen so much as scratched Normandy's paint he'd snap them back so hard they'd think they were in basic again.

Normandy may have been designed for stealth reconnaissance, but five of his ancestors had fought in that long ago battle she was named for - three of whom never made it off Omaha beach, and a fourth fell taking Pegasus Bridge, their names carved on white marble crosses in France - and he took it as a matter of honor that this ship would damn well be ready for combat in all respects every single time Captain Montgomery sounded general quarters.

* * *

While Chief Engineer Adams and Third Officer Pressley saw to the Normandy's maintenance, and the disposition of her crew, Montgomery, Beckett, Castle and Esposito took a rapid transit shuttle to the Citadel Embassies on the Presidium ring. When they reached the human Embassy, they could almost hear Ambassador Bracken shouting before the door slid open to reveal him arguing with holographic representations of the Citadel Council.

"...this is an outrage! The Council would have stepped in if the Geth had attacked a Turian colony!"

"The Turians," Valern, the Salarian councilor countered dryly, "don't found colonies that share a border with the Terminus Systems, Ambassador."

"Humanity was well aware of the risks," Asari Councilor Tevos added almost patronizingly, "when you went into the Traverse."

"What about Saren?" Bracken asked, making a pretty good show out of being angry. "You can't just ignore a rogue Spectre. I demand action!"

"You don't get to make demands of the Council, Ambassador!" Sparatus spat in reply. It was clear that Bracken wasn't going to budge them, no matter how hard he pushed.

"Citadel Security is investigating your allegations against Saren." Tevos, her tone that of cold finality, "We will discuss C-Sec's findings at your hearing, not before. Good day, Ambassador Bracken."

With that, her holographic hand moved to touch something out of range of the holographic projector and cut the conference call. Clearly Bracken was quite proficient at getting under people's skin, including the normally slow to anger Asari Ambassador.

Bracken swore quietly to himself, before turning around to take note of the four guests in his office, and softened his stance.

"Captain Montgomery," he said with false noblesse oblige and just a hint of irritation, "I see you've brought half your crew along with you."

"Just the ground team from Eden Prime, Ambassador," Montgomery replied, ignoring the obvious attempt to throw him off his guard, "in case you had any questions for them."

"I've read the mission reports, Captain," Bracken replied dismissively. "I assume they were accurate?"

"They are, Ambassador, I'm assuming that you were successful in getting us a hearing?"

"They weren't happy about it," Bracken grumbled, allowing some of his genuine irritation to show, clearly, not being the one with the power in this situation made him uneasy. "Saren is their top agent, they don't like their golden boy being accused of treason."

"If you think I'm just gonna sit on my ass just because the Council wants to bury their heads in the sand about Saren, you have another thing coming, Ambassador." Kate growled, her frustration boiling over at all of the political maneuvering. "If they won't stop Saren, I will."

"Settle down, Commander," Bracken snapped at her, "you've already done enough to jeopardize your candidacy for the Spectres! The mission on Eden Prime was an opportunity for you to prove to the council that a human can get the job done. Instead, Nihlus ended up dead and the Prothean beacon was destroyed on your watch."

"Hold on just a damned minute!" Montgomery snapped back at Bracken, pinning the Ambassador with a glare that would have stopped just about anyone else dead in their tracks. "That was Saren's fault, not hers!"

Bracken didn't wilt under his glare. Montgomery had heard the rumors about Bracken, that he'd served with a psychological warfare unit during the First Contact war - one so black even the table of contents listing the existence of the unit was heavily redacted - which had supposedly disbanded after Armistice Day, but was rumored to have posted an anti-alien manifesto and gone rogue instead. Rumors or not, Bracken had certainly known where enough bodies were buried after the short brutal conflict with the Turian Hierarchy, to grease the wheels on his meteoric rise up the political ladder.

The one person who'd ever tried to get in his way had been Johanna Beckett, a civil rights attorney who'd been nominated to run in New York City District Attorney's race against him nearly a decade ago. She'd been stabbed to death in an alley – the victim of a random act of gang violence mere hours before the press conference in which she would have officially announced her candidacy. Bracken himself had attended the prayer vigil the night of her funeral, paid his respects at the calling hours for her funeral even proposed a bill before the city council in her name later that year to call for a tougher stance on street gangs. The scuttlebutt that he never revealed his true face to anyone certainly seemed true enough.

"Then we'd better hope the C-Sec investigation turns up evidence to support your allegations," Bracken replied, his steely control still in place. "Otherwise, Sparatus might use this to convince the other Councilors to deny your entry into the Spectres."

"Come with me, Captain," Bracken stated as he headed for the door, "I want to discuss a few things with you in private before the hearing. The rest of you can meet us at the Council chambers on the top level of the Citadel Tower. I'll make sure you all have clearance to get in."

And then with a dismissive nod of his head, Bracken and the Captain were gone.

"That," Kate muttered, "is why I hate politicians."

* * *

Beckett, Castle and Esposito file out of Ambassador Bracken's office and take another rapid transit shuttle straight to the base of the citadel tower and step into the glass enclosed elevator, where it gradually rises up the massive tower, giving them a spectacular view of the station.

"This is a really big place!" Esposito muttered, having never been to the citadel before.

"That your professional opinion, Espo?" Kate replied.

"This place makes Jump Zero look like a porta-john," Esposito replied, "and that's the biggest station we have! How the hell do they keep all this mass from flying apart? Can't figure why the other races would be so keen to keep us out though, seems like there's enough room here for everybody."

"Neither can I," Castle interjected, his eyes wandering from the view outside to Kate's profile, "We've got oceans, beautiful women, this emotion we call love? According to all of the old vids my daughter likes to watch we have everything they could possibly want."

Kate had clearly caught notice of Castle's none to subtle appraisal, her cheeks turning a light pink. The doors chose that very moment to open, announcing their arrival at the top of the citadel tower.

"Castle," Kate muttered pertly before heading out of the lift, "if you think you're gonna fit me for a tinfoil miniskirt and thigh high boots, I want dinner first."

Castle stopped, slightly gobsmacked at the image Kate had put into his brain, which was a lot more fun than the ones the beacon had, prompting the subject of his daydream to turn back toward him.

"You coming, Castle?"

As they approached the first set of stairs leading up to the Council audience chamber, they saw two Turians arguing in the small circular courtyard leading up to the next set of stairs.

"...Saren's hiding something, "hissed the one in the blue uniform of a C-Sec Lieutenant, "Give me more time, Stall them!"

"Stall the council?" asked the older looking Turian in more formal civilian attire, "Don't be ridiculous! Your investigation is over, Garrus."

The older Turian stalked away toward the staircase leaving the other, frustrated Turian in his wake.

"Commander Beckett?" he asked, flashing ceramic, "Garrus Vakarian, I was the officer in charge of the C-Sec investigation into Saren."

Kate looked the Turian up and down, but accepted the three fingered hand proffererd to her and shook it. She'd been a cop once, she could read his frustration in the way he stiffly shook his hand. She'd been there.

"Who were you just talking to?" Kate asked.

"Executor Pallin, Head of Citadel Security, my boss," Garrus replied, "He'll be presenting my findings, - or lack thereof - on Saren to the Council.

"Come across anything I should know about?" Kate asked.

"Saren's a Spectre," Garrus began, "Most of his activities are classified. I couldn't find anything solid. But I know he's up to something. Like you humans say, I feel it in my gut."

Before Kate could question Garrus further, she saw Captain Montgomery waving to her from the same stairs Pallin had climbed only minutes before.

"I think the Council's ready for us, Commander," Espo cut in, declaring the obvious.

"Good luck, Commander," Garrus offered glumly, "maybe they'll listen to you."

When they reached the spot where Montgomery was impatiently waiting for them, he hustled them up the stairs.

"The hearing's started already," he urged. "come on."

* * *

 _ ****Author's Note** Usually this is where my author's note would go, but with all that's gone on the past couple weeks I have no words.**_


	5. Spectre

**Chapter Five  
Spectre**

* * *

 _"Well you may throw your rock and hide your hand  
Workin' in the dark against your fellow man  
But as sure as God made black and white  
What's done in the dark will be brought to the light"  
_Johnny Cash: "God's Gonna Cut You Down"

* * *

Captain Montgomery swept into the Council Chamber, which seemed more like a combination of an amphitheater and a zen garden that the sort of place where matters of galactic importance were decided by the three oldest and most powerful races in the galaxy. The others trailed close behind him to where Ambassador Bracken was already standing in what appeared to be a cross between the defendant's dock in a courtroom and the plank from an old fashioned sailing ship. Which overlooked a glass enclosed rock garden several meters below.

"Hope Bracken isn't afraid of heights," Castle whispered conspiratorially in her ear before they got within earshot, sending a tingle up and down her spine. Kate was sure it was meant more as a dig against the career politician than a bid to drive her insane, which she appreciated as she was still a bit sore about the dressing down she'd received from the man earlier.

She had to take her lip between her teeth to bite back a smile though, it wouldn't do to draw attention to their whispered remarks. She was sure that Ambassador Bracken would not find them nearly as amusing as she and Castle did.

As the four of them stepped up behind Bracken at the dais before the Council – with a holographic representation of Saren Arterius conspicuously "standing" to their immediate right, Tevos, the Asari Councilor was already speaking.

"...Geth aggression outside the veil is, of course, a matter of great concern, but there is no direct evidence connecting Saren to the attack on Eden Prime."

"The investigation by Citadel Security," Councilor Sparatus interjected, "has turned up no evidence to support your charge of treason."

"What about the eyewitness who saw Saren kill Nihlus in cold blood?" Bracken asked. Though it had been decades since he'd last tried a case in court, it was clear he'd lost none of his flair for courtroom drama, it just seemed to fall on deaf ears under the united front of the Council and their collective self-assured sense of intellectual and cultural superiority.

"We've read the Eden Prime reports you provided from the Normandy ground team, Ambassador," Councilor Valern replied almost patronizingly. "The testimony of one traumatized dockworker, whose word even Commander Beckett was not sure she could take at face value at the time, can hardly be considered _compelling_ evidence."

"I resent these accusations," The hologram of Saren spoke up addressing the Council, who seemed to regard his words with more consideration than any of the four humans standing on the dock, "I trained Nihlus personally, he was not only my protege, but a fellow Spectre and a friend."

"That just let you catch him off guard!" Montgomery shouted from behind Ambassador Bracken, his hatred for Saren clearly radiating off of him in waves. If Kate had held any doubts that the two had a history, those doubts were clearly erased.

"Roy Montgomery..." Saren said with clear contempt. " Why am I not surprised? You always seem to turn up when humanity makes false charges against me and this must be your protege, Commander Beckett, the one who let the beacon be destroyed."

"The mission to Eden Prime was Top Secret," Kate barked at him. "I didn't even find out about it until we cleared the Utopia Cluster Mass Relay. The only way you could know about the beacon was if you were there!"

"With Nihlus gone, his files were passed to me, " Saren replied, "I read your Eden Prime report when these spurious charges were first leveled against me. Nihlus may have thought highly enough of you to put your name forward, but thus far I am _unimpressed_. Your species needs to learn its place, humanity is no more ready to join the council than you were twenty-six years ago and _you_ are not ready to join the Spectres!"

"Objection!" Bracken interjected, silencing Kate's retort before she could open her mouth. "He has no right to say that! That's not his decision!"

Councilor Tevos seemed to agree with Bracken for once, turning to Saren with a mild glare and a raised eyebrow. "Commander Beckett's admission into the Spectres is not the purpose of this hearing. Your previous objection to her candidacy has been noted and _overruled_ in that matter."

"This meeting has no purpose," Saren growled. "The humans are wasting your time, Councilor, and mine."

"There is still one outstanding issue," Captain Montgomery added, doing his best to address the council and keep his feelings about Saren out of it, "Chief Castle's vision, which may have been triggered by the beacon."

"Are we allowing _dreams_ into evidence now?" Saren spat harshly, "How am I supposed to defend myself against such spectral testimony?"

"I agree," Councilor Sparatus added, "Our judgment must be based on factual evidence, not on wild speculation and the hallucinations of a human clearly suffering from combat fatigue."

"I know what I saw!" Castle hissed, he'd been bristling ever since Saren's crack about Beckett, but he'd had just about enough. It took considerable effort by both Kate and Esposito to get him to stand down.

"Commander Beckett," Councilor Valern asked, "as the leader of the Eden Prime ground team, do you have anything further to add?"

"It would seem, you've already made your decision," Kate replied defiantly, "I won't waste my breath."

The three members of the Citadel Council conferred in hushed whispers for a few moments, their voices barely audible until they turned back to their respective lecterns and Ambassador Tevos keyed her microphone.

"It is the determination of the Citadel Council that insufficient evidence has been presented to connect Spectre Arterius to the Geth attack on Eden Prime. Ambassador Bracken, your petition to have him disbarred from the Spectres and charged with treason is summarily denied."

"I am gratified to see that justice has been served." Saren stated, before his hologram disappeared.

"This meeting of the Citadel Council now stands adjourned," Tevos concluded, but then turned back to Ambassador Bracken, "We are not without compassion for your losses to the Geth on Eden Prime, however. Have your colonial affairs office contact us and we will arrange for aid vessels to be sent to assist with recovery efforts. Good day."

* * *

It had been a very quiet private shuttle ride back to Ambassador Bracken's office. Kate hated being right sometimes. Bringing up Castle's visions from the beacon had clearly been a mistake, no matter how badly she wanted to believe, for his sake that they were genuine. She hated having to side with Bracken against her captain, a man she would gladly follow into hell and back.

"It was a mistake bringing you into that meeting, Captain," Bracken began, rounding on Montgomery as soon as the door closed on them, "You and Saren have too much bad blood, it played right into Saren's hands and made them doubt our motives."

"I know Saren, better than any of you," Montgomery countered, "I don't know how or why he's working with the Geth, but it poses a grave danger to the entire human race. Every colony we have is at risk, not even Earth is safe."

"Unless we can prove that to the Council, our hands are tied." Bracken replied, attacking a Council Spectre would be seen as an act of war. The last thing we need is for humanity to become galactic pariahs like the Quarians and the Batarians."

"What are we supposed to do," Kate asked angrily, "sit on our hands and do nothing while he and the Geth are out there doing god knows what?"

"Saren's Spectre status makes him virtually untouchable, legally," Bracken replied, "in order for the Council to take action would be to find verifiable proof to expose him."

"What about that C-Sec officer we met earlier... Garrus?" Castle offered. "The one arguing with Executor Pallin. He was trying to delay the meeting to have more time to finish his report. Sounded like he may have been close to finding something."

"I have a contact in C-Sec who might be able to help us track Officer Garrus down," Bracken offered, "his name is McCallister."

"Forget Gary McCallister ," Montgomery spat, "C-Sec suspended him last month for drinking on the job. I won't waste time on him."

"You won't have to, Captain," Bracken hissed, "I don't want you anywhere near this investigation! We can't take the chance that the Council will use your past history with Saren as an excuse to ignore anything we turn up."

"You can't do that," Kate sputtered, "you can't just cut him out of this."

Montgomery laid a comforting hand on Kate's shoulder and sighed in resignation. "The Ambassador's right, Kate, they will never buy anything I turn up after my display in there, much less take my word over Saren's. I gotta step aside and turn you loose on him."

"I need to meet with colonial affairs to organize the recovery effort for Eden Prime, so if you will excuse me," Bracken began, all but shooing them out the door. "Captain, if you will meet me here later, we have some other things to discuss in private. Commander, I suggest you and the others get busy running down this Officer Vakarian. Come back and see me when you have something."

Before parting company with them for his own place on the Citadel, Montgomery turned back to them.

"If you want to find McCallister, he's probably getting drunk down at Chora's den, a dingy little _nightclub_ down in lower end of Shin Akiba."

"I thought you said he was a drunken loser?" Kate asked.

"It couldn't hurt to go talk to him," Montgomery replied, "just be careful, I wouldn't exactly call him reliable. He joined C-Sec shortly after being encouraged to take early retirement from the NYPD about twenty years ago."

Kate flinched at the mention of him having been with the NYPD while her mother had been alive, even though she would have been around ten at the time, but nodded to Montgomery to continue.

"He's been an embarrassment to our species ever since," Montgomery muttered, a hint of venom creeping into his voice. "Roughing up suspects in custody, accusations of being on the take, alcohol and drug use on the job and that's just the stuff in the official records. The Alliance Embassy used to step in when he got into trouble, but I guess even they gave up on him."

"He sounds like a real scumbag," Esposito offered, Castle and Beckett nodded in agreement, "shoulda been cut loose a long time ago."

"He was the first, and for a long time the only human in C-Sec," Montgomery replied, "so a lot of backroom deals were made to keep him on the force. It would have looked bad if he got kicked out, I guess. We have a lot more humans in C-Sec now who work hard and keep their noses clean, so it's no longer politically expedient to keep protecting him."

"As long as he leads me to Garrus," Beckett replied, "what he did to finally get kicked out is between him and C-Sec."

* * *

Castle, Beckett and Esposito took a rapid transit shuttle from the Embassy level of the Presidium to financial district then walked to the wards access elevator and took it down to the market level of Shin Akiba where they walked through the markets, following the advertising signs to the lower market level, then to an unassuming access door, which opened as soon as they approached it, which led to

Upon entry, it was perfectly clear that the place was more _gentleman's club_ than _nightclub_. Three exotic dancers - two Asari and a young-looking human woman with bright red hair - were pole dancing in various stages of undress on a raised circular platform stage over the bar. Kate made a derisive snort as soon as she took in the atmosphere, noting Esposito's rapt attention on the strippers.

"That's quite the...uh... view," Esposito muttered, not realizing he'd said it out loud.

"A million light years from where humanity began" Kate huffed at Esposito, "and we walk into a bar filled with men drooling over half-naked women shaking their asses on a stage. I don't know if that's funny or sad."

"You mean they don't come here for the food?" Esposito replied, hoping to cover his earlier reaction, but his eyes kept wandering up to the dancers, which wasn't helping his case at all.

"You might want to put your tongue back in your mouth, Espo, before you trip on it." Beckett shot back, leaving Esposito unsure whether she was busting his chops or was actually angry with him. As soon as Beckett moved deeper into the crowd at the periphery of the bar in search of McCallister, Esposito elbowed Castle in the ribs.

"Way to have my back there, MC," he snorted.

"I have a teenage daughter, Lieutenant," Castle shot back angrily, "a redhead, like that one you've been leering at since we walked in the door. She's my entire world and I don't even want to imagine a circumstance under which she'd end up being leered at in a cesspool like this. With all due respect, _sir_ , you're on your own."

With that, Castle turned on his heel and set off after Beckett, leaving a rather sheepish looking Esposito in his wake who hadn't felt this chastened since his first week in boot.

The crowd parted around Commander Beckett, so it was not difficult to track her progress, only to be blocked from the table where their quarry was sitting by a pair of Krogan, looking for all the world like two armored dinosaurs about to attack one another. The larger, more aggressive looking one was heavily scarred from the most obvious being the one that tracked from the top of his bony skull crest down the side of his lizard-like face.

"Back off, Wrex," the smaller, less scarred of the two warned, "Fist told us to take you down if you showed up."

"What are you waiting for?" Wrex's deep, rumbling basso profundo voice challenged, seemingly unimpressed, "I'm standing right here. This is Fist's only chance, if he's smart he'll take it."

"He's not coming out, Wrex," the bodyguard retorted, "end of story."

"This story is just beginning." Wrex rumbled, then turned and brushed Beckett aside, which sent Castle's hand twitching toward his sidearm, but she waved him off.

"Out of my way humans," the seven foot tall reptilian rumbled as he swept past them, "I have no quarrel with you."

"What was that all about?" Esposito asked, having finally caught up to them.

"Who knows?" Beckett replied, nodding toward McCallister who seemed to be well into his cups at this point. "we aren't here to get caught in the middle of a local pissing contest, we have bigger fish to fry."

Without further comment, Beckett turned and stalked toward the table where Gary McCallister was sitting. She took a moment to study the man, before schooling her features as she got close enough to catch his attention.

"Hey there, sweet thing," McCallister drawled, leering at her up and down as if she was a piece of meat, "that soldier getup looks really good on that smokin' bod of yours. Why don't you sit that sweet little ass of yours down beside old Gary here. Have a drink and we'll see where this goes."

Once upon a time, had she been operating under cover for CID, she would have likely accepted such an offer, sat down and endured the man groping her long enough to finesse information out of him no matter how much it would have made her skin crawl – not to mention require a long shower in addition to standard decontamination - but this time she had other priorities and didn't have to pretend to accept the inebriated, skeevy, corrupt little bastard.

"I'd rather drink monkey piss mixed with battery acid after chewing on a rusty razor blade." She snapped back at him. She didn't have time to play nice.

"You trying to hurt my _feelings_ , Princess?" McCallister shot back. "After twenty years in C-Sec, I've been insulted and condescended to in every language in Council space."

"Call me _Princess_ again and you'll be coughing up your teeth for a week,." Beckett replied coldly, getting more aggravated with the corrupt former C-Sec officer with every passing second. "Just tell me where I can find Garrus Vakarian."

"That hothead?" McCallister snorted. "Last I heard, he was sniffing around Dr. Michel's clinic down on the other end of the wards looking for trouble. I think she might be one of his confidential informants, or maybe he's just sweet on her. I've heard that some turians have developed a kink for human women since the war. If he's still got his nose out of joint because of that Spectre, chances are he's headed back there to see if she's heard anything."

"How would you know what's going on in C-Sec anyway," Castle interjected, "I thought they kicked you out a month ago?"

"You writing a book, asshole?" McCallister snorted, "I know people and I hear things, now go annoy that damned Turian hothead you're so eager to find and let me get drunk and enjoy the scenery in peace."

Before Castle can respond - or do something even more stupid considering the stiffness of his posture – Kate grabbed his arm and hauled him away from McCallister's table.

"Come on Castle," she whispers in his ear, "this walking stain isn't worth the brig time. Let's go."

With another gentle tug on his arm, Castle reluctantly followed her away from the man he'd developed a sudden urge to pound into a grease spot toward the door. No sooner had the doors closed behind them in the corridor that he saw two turian down the corridor pointing at them and drawing weapons.

"GUN!" Castle shouted, diving for cover shoving Beckett in front of him. Esposito dove the opposite way just as a burst of semiautomatic fire ripped past them where Castle and Beckett had been.

Beckett and Esposito popped up from cover, pistols in hand sending suppressing fire downrange as Castle charged biotics then launched himself at the lightly armed and armored assassins -crossing the distance in the blink of an eye - slamming into the Turian with the assault rifle to the satisfying sound of crunching bone when he heard him hit the opposite wall. A single sledgehammer round from his katana shotgun center-punched the other, ending the fight almost as quickly as it began.

"Assassins," Castle muttered, noting that their omni-tools were both fried, clearly by a third party, "Saren really doesn't want us to compare notes with Vakarian."

"Saddle up, you two," Beckett replied tersely, "Let's move."

* * *

Fifteen minutes later the door to Dr Michel's clinic on the wards slid open to admit them, to find the young doctor being harassed by four armed men brandishing pistols and shotguns, their leader pointing a pistol at the doctor's head.

"... I didn't tell anyone about Fist, I swear!" the pretty, young doctor pleaded, her eyes wide at the pistol in her face.

"That was smart, doc," the man growled. "Now if Vakarian comes around, you stay smart. Keep your your pretty French teeth together or we'll..."

Before he could finish, Castle, Beckett and Esposito burst into the room, blinding Fist's goons to the presence of a Turian wearing a C-Sec uniform behind one of the support struts as their leader grabbed Dr. Michel around the neck and drew her in front of him as a human shield and the others ducked for cover behind a stack of storage crates.

"Who are you?" the man holding the pretty redhead growled.

"Let her go!" Beckett commanded, her weapon pointed at the man, but unable to get a clean shot. Garrus swung out from cover, lined up on him with his drawn pistol and fired a single anti personnel round straight through the side of his head, killing the man instantly, showering the doctor in a spray of blood and brains.

Dr. Michel screamed as the man's grip loosened and he slid down her body to the floor, freaked out but otherwise unharmed. Kate tackled her to the floor while Castle and Esposito turned their assault rifles on the others. Castle gave the shipping containers a biotic push, sending the containers tumbling and the other three hired goons scrambling. They were no match for two well-trained and highly motivated Alliance Marines, however and were quickly dispatched.

"Perfect timing, Commander," Garrus stated enthusiastically, "gave me a clear shot at that bastard."

"You took him down clean," Beckett affirmed as she helped Dr. Michel off the floor.

"Sometimes you just get lucky," Garrus replied, then turned to Dr. Michel with genuine concern. "Chloe? Are you hurt?"

"No," Dr. Michel whispered, "I'm okay, thanks to you... a...all of you."

While Castle and Esposito policed the bodies, checking them for any sort of intel, Beckett and Garrus helped Dr. Michel into her office, and gave her a few minutes to clean up hoping that getting her away from the scene of the fight would help her stay calm.

"Do you know why they were threatening you?" Beckett asked, when the doctor returned from the bathroom from cleaning herself up, wearing a fresh set of scrubs. "Who do they work for?"

"They work for Fist," Dr. Michel replied shakily, her voice little more than a stage whisper, "They wanted to shut me up. Keep me from telling Garrus about the quarian."

"Does this have anything to do with your investigation into Saren?" Kate asked Garrus.

"I think it might," Garrus replied, "Dr Michel contacted me shortly before you saw me with Director Pallin."

"Tell us what happened, Doctor," Kate asked, offering her a chair to sit in.

"A... a few days ago a young quarian staggered into the clinic," Doctor Michel began as she sat in the chair before her knees gave out. "She'd been... shot, but she wouldn't say who did it. She was running a fever... she was scared, probably on the run. She asked me about the Shadow Broker, said she wanted to trade some information in exchange for a safe place to hide."

"Do you know where she went?" Kate asked gently.

"I put her in touch with Fist," she replied. "He's an agent for the Shadow Broker."

"Not anymore," Garrus interrupted, "now he works for Saren and from what I hear, the Broker is none to happy about it."

"Fist betrayed the Shadow Broker?!" Dr. Michel asked incredulously, "He may not be the sharpest scalpel on the tray, but that's stupid... even for him! Saren must have made him quite the offer."

"That quarian must have found something that Saren doesn't want becoming common knowledge," Garrus pointed out, "Something worth crossing the Shadow Broker to get."

Beckett could almost feel the wheels turning in Garrus' mind, working the angles to get inside their suspect's head. Sometimes she really missed being a cop. Lt. Commander Stack had recruited her into Alliance CID after they had worked a sensitive case together during her first year as an NYPD detective. He'd been impressed with her dogged persistence on the case – she'd even arrested him for obstruction early on - as well as her high case clearance rate for a rookie detective. She'd been on Elysium just before the blitz because her training officer and former partner, Rachel McCord had disappeared on assignment shortly after arriving there and the rest had been history.

"Is there anything else you can tell us about this quarian?" Beckett asked softly, but urgently. "Anything you can think of at all, no matter how small could help us a lot."

"I... I'm not sure," Dr. Michel whispered, closing her eyes and trying to think back, "like I said, she wanted to trade information for a place to hide... she didn't... wait a minute! Geth! Her information had something to do with the Geth!"

"She must be able to link Saren to the Geth!" Garrus exclaimed. "There's no way the Council can ignore this!"

"I think it's time we paid this Fist a visit." Beckett muttered.

"This is your show, Commander, but I want to bring Saren down as much as you do." Garrus stated, "I'd like to come along."

"You're a Turian," Esposito interjected, stepping into Garrus' personal space "why would you want to bring down a Turian Spectre?"

"I couldn't find the proof I needed for my investigation, but I learned enough to suspect what's really going on." Garrus snapped, towering over the much shorter Esposito, but talking to Beckett, "If Saren is allied with the Geth, then he's a traitor to the council and a disgrace to my people!"

"All right," Beckett agreed, "we could use a little C-Sec backup so the council can't accuse us of bias, welcome aboard Vakarian."

"Call me Garrus, please," Garrus replied. "We aren't the only ones interested in Fist, you know. The Shadow Broker hired a Krogan Bounty hunter named Wrex to take him out."

"I think we may have seen him at Chora's Den," Castle added, more than a little excited, "The one hassling the bouncer when we were looking for McCallister."

"A Krogan might come in handy," Beckett mused, not realizing she'd said it out loud. _He could also be a load of trouble,_ she thought, managing to keep that part to herself, even though Castle seemed to be almost giddy at the idea of meeting his fourth alien species in less than a day.

"Last I heard, he was still at the Shin Akiba precinct," Garrus added, "Fist accused him of making death threats, so we brought him in for questioning. If we hurry, we might catch him before he walks."

"Lead on, Garrus," Beckett said, "move out people."

* * *

Garrus knew a shortcut to the precinct from Dr. Michel's clinic that avoided most of the security cameras, not to mention the crowds milling around between the main view ports and the markets that might impede their progress. He only had to flash ceramic twice to get them through and within a short walk they fond themselves in C-Sec's Shin Akiba precinct. It was clear that questioning Wrex had not gone as the precinct Captain had planned. The massive Krogan towered over the human and two Turian officers keeping him "under guard" and didn't seem intimidated by them in the slightest.

"Fist accused you of making threats," the human officer stated, which had none of the desired intimidation factor he'd been going for, given the amused expression on Wrex's face, "I'm warning you to leave him alone."

"You should be warning Fist," Wrex's basso profundo voice rumbled, "I will kill him."

"Do you _want_ me to arrest you?" The human threatened, still not intimidating Wrex in the least as he leaned into the human's personal space to bring his skull crest down to the man's eye level.

"I want you to try," Wrex taunted before he rose to his full height again and stomped toward the elevator to the wards, bringing him close enough to them for Beckett to step into this path to get his attention.

"Do I know you, human?" he rumbled.

"Commander Kate Beckett," Kate offered, nearly putting her hand out, but thought better of it, "Earth Alliance Navy. I'm going after Fist, thought maybe you'd like to come along."

"Commander Beckett?" Wrex rumbled back at her, "I've heard about you. We're both warriors, Beckett, so out of respect I'll give you fair warning. I'm going to kill Fist."

"Fist knows you're coming, Wrex," Garrus interrupted, "We'll each have a better chance of getting what we want if we work together."

Wrex thought about what the Turian said for a moment. He generally worked alone, in fact he preferred it that way - but it never hurt to have allies and there were enough Krogan in Fist's employ to give even a seasoned battlemaster like himself pause. He had been born centuries after the end of the Krogan Rebellions and the Genophage had been inflicted upon his people, so he had very little use for turians in general -or salarians either for that matter - but this Turian at least seemed to be talking sense... for once.

"My people have a saying, Beckett," he rumbled. "'Seek the enemy of your enemy and you will find a friend.' I'm in."

Kate nodded, and Wrex fell into line with them.

"This sounds like the start of a beautiful friendship," Castle quipped as he, Garrus and Wrex boarded the elevator back to the wards, which made Kate roll her eyes at him, grateful that his back was turned to her. As much as she tried to ignore it, she found herself liking the man more with every passing hour.

With the addition of the Krogan, they might have formed a very potent squad to go after Fist, but Kate knew Wrex could easily turn into a fatal liability if she didn't have a backup plan. To that end she turned to Esposito and pressed a hand to his chest to stop him from joining the others on the elevator.

"Espo," she whispered, "I need you to go back to the Normandy."

"Hell no, Beckett," Esposito hissed as if he'd been slapped in the face, "If you think I'm gonna let you go in there with only Castle and these two chuckle-heads to have your back you've got another thing coming!"

"That's a direct order, Lieutenant," Kate snapped back. "Get back to the ship, find LT and whomever else you can get your hands on who's fit to carry a rifle into combat. If this goes south and we need backup you're our ace in the hole. Now move like you've got a purpose Marine!"

"Sir, yes sir!" Esposito replied, snapped a quick salute then reluctantly marched double-time toward the elevator to the Normandy's docking port.

* * *

Beckett, Castle, Garrus and Wrex made it to the alleyway just outside of Chora's Den in short order, prepared to confront Fist. Their first indication that something was amiss was the lack of music coming from the establishment. Every other time they had been there, the pulsing beat of the nightclub's sound system could be heard rumbling and vibrating through the deck plates.

"That's odd," Garrus noted, "this place never closes..."

"Fist knows we're coming," Wrex interrupted, a shotgun in one hand and an assault rifle in the other, both looking small in his massive hands, "good, I don't like sneaking around anyway."

They stacked up on either side of the door and Beckett nodded at Castle who tapped the door toggle plate. No sooner had the door begun to slide open than a withering fusillade of small arms fire burst through the doorway. Castle charged biotics and sent a shock-wave pounding through the door into the club at the same time Wrex cut loose a warp pulse which effectively scattered Fist's hired muscle, killing two of them instantly.

Kate and Garrus moved into the doorway, firing their rifles to clear a path into the club, each scoring hits. Garrus' mastery with his Raptor assault rifle was evident as he drilled his first target through the left eye, sending three others scurrying for cover. The two of them kept up their rate of fire as they fanned out, Kate to the right and Garrus to the left as Castle and Wrex moved into the doorway, then parted, with Castle moving to the left to support Beckett.

Wrex charged headlong into the nightclub, elbowing Garrus aside to charge into the nearest Krogan and slammed his head's bony crest plate into the younger, smaller krogan's - a concussive headbutt which likely would have killed a human outright - forcing him to stagger back. Wrex's follow up move was to press the barrel of his rifle to his opponent's chest and hold down the trigger, unleashing a fifteen round burst that reduced his primary, secondary and tertiary hearts to ground meat.

Wrex flung the dying Krogan aside with a snarl and charged into the next set of bodyguards with a bellowing war cry as Garrus – clearly left to fend for himself - upended a table for cover and picked off the bodyguards who'd set up positions on the raised stage above the bar with precise fire from his assault rifle.

Castle and Beckett's room-clearing efforts were a much more coordinated affair. The two of them leapfrogged closer to the hallway leading to the offices – the fluid grace of their movements so synchronized it was like they shared a brain - Castle would break cover and fire a concentrated burst with his Lancer as Beckett moved up, then she would do the same with her Avenger, each without so much as a backward glance. Between the four of them, Fist's bodyguards and club bouncers didn't last long and when the echoes of the gunfire faded, the bar area of the club took on an almost surreal silence.

Beckett hit the button to open the door to the offices and they were met by two humans half hidden on either side of a stack of heavy crates. It was clear to all four of them, given their opponents' oil stained coveralls and semi exposed position that neither of these men were trained for combat.

"Stop!" one of then squawked, clearly unnerved to be facing down a Turian C-Sec agent, two Alliance Marines, and a Krogan Battlemaster with little more than a low caliber civilian model pistol and an aftermarket shotgun between them. "Don't come any closer!"

His weapon was shaking in his hands, - making it obvious to all of them that he'd never pointed a gun at anyone before - unaware that the safety was still on.

"Warehouse workers," Castle whispered to her. "All the real bodyguards must be dead."

Kate nodded, straightening up, her assault rifle aimed squarely at the man's head.

"Weapons down!" Kate shouted, hers never wavering, Castle followed her lead, his weapon trained on the man's partner with the shotgun, as her voice took on a colder timbre. "The four of us just took out fifty trained killers to get in here, you ready to die?"

The two workers looked at each other for a moment then shrugged.

"Screw Fist," one of them muttered as he and his partner dropped their weapons to the floor. "He doesn't pay us enough for this."

After locking the two men in one of the rooms set aside for "private" lap-dances, Castle and Beckett stacked up at the door to the main offices with Garrus and Wrex close behind. Castle counted down from three on the fingers of his left hand, keyed the door and they burst inside. Fist crouched behind the desk and raised a pistol as if to resist, but after Wrex burst into the room behind Garrus he thought better of it and quickly dropped his weapon, kicked it aside and stood up with his hands in the air.

"Wait! Don't let him kill me!" Fist shouted, "I surrender! I surrender!"

"Step into the open and get down on your knees!" Castle commanded. "Do it now! Feet apart! Lace your fingers behind your head!"

Fist complied and Castle slid his rifle away -careful to stay out of Beckett and Garrus' line of fire as they covered him – while he searched the gangster none-to-gently for hidden weapons.

"Wrex here is eager to fulfill his contract with the Shadow Broker, Fist," Kate offered, sliding subtly into _"good cop"_ interrogation mode, "give me a good reason not to let him." She paused for effect as Wrex bristled, stroking the shotgun in his large hands as if it was his firstborn, which seemed to unnerve the man to no end. "Tell me where the quarian is and maybe I won't leave you to his tender mercies."

"She... she's not here!" Fist stammered, his eyes not on Kate, but on the cavernous maw of Wrex's Claymore shotgun. He knew Wrex by reputation, the Krogan had no scruples about executing a prisoner and would most definitely pull the trigger, regardless of what _anyone_ thought about it. "I.. I don't know where she is! I swear!"

"He's no use to you," Wrex rumbled menacingly, clearly playing his part well - though Kate wasn't sure if he was playing or not after seeing him tear at least six people apart with both biotics and his three fingered claws.

"Wait! Wait! Wait!" Fist stammered, thinking on his feet, "I don't know where the quarian is... but I know where you can find her. She... she said she'd only deal with the Broker himself!"

"Face to face?" Wrex rumbled, ejecting the spent thermal clip from his shotgun and slapping home a new one to keep the pressure on. " _Impossible_. Even _I_ was hired through an agent."

"Nobody meets the Shadow Broker... ever." Fist stated nervously "I've been trading info for him for _years_ and even I don't know his true identity, but the quarian didn't know that. I told her I'd set up a meeting, but when she shows up... it'll be Saren's men waiting for her."

Kate's demeanor suddenly shifted violently away from _"good cop"_ well past Wrex's _"bad cop"_ and straight into _"worse cop"_ as she stalked menacingly into Fist's personal space, hauled him savagely to his feet and slammed him into the wall. She drew her Carnifax hand canon and pressed the barrel right under his chin. For the first time since the interrogation began his eyes were focused directly into her green flecked hazel ones and he did not like the rage he saw there.

"Tell me where that meeting is," She shouted in his face, "before I blow your lying brains out right here!"

"Here... here on the wards," Fist stammered as best as he could with the barrel of a pistol jammed under his chin. "Back alley by the Markets! She's supposed to meet with them soon, you... you can make it if you hurry!"

Kate slammed Fist into the mirror hard enough to crack the glass then turned toward the door back into the nightclub, Castle and Garrus fast at her heels, when the loud, thunderous report of Wrex's shotgun echoed loudly in the enclosed space. All three of them wheeled back around to see Wrex stranding over Fist's nearly decapitated body crumpled on the floor.

"Put it down, Wrex," Garrus shouted, his pistol out, in full C-Sec agent mode, "I'm taking you in!"

"The Shadow Broker paid me a lot of money to kill him," Wrex rumbled, nodding at the pile of raw meat that used to be Fist as he thumbed the switch that collapsed his shotgun and slid it into place behind his back, "I don't leave jobs half done, it's bad for business."

"Besides," Castle added, "you and I both know the Broker's agents would see to it his paperwork was _'lost in the system'_ and have him out before breakfast anyway."

Garrus nodded and accepted Castle's logic in the matter. He knew the Shadow Broker's reputation well enough to see the truth in it.

"I'm not shedding any tears over Fist, too many people died because of him," Kate muttered, feeling neither joy nor sorrow at the manner of his death. "We have to hurry if we're gonna save the quarian. Saddle up, people, time's wasting. Move out!"

* * *

Tali'Zorah nar Rhyyya slipped cautiously into the alley where Fist had told her the Shadow Broker would be waiting. The last vestiges of the fever - courtesy of graze from the Polonium round she'd been hit with shortly after she'd arrived - was still raging in her system. Dr. Michel had given her an injection of dextro-based antibiotics in her clinic, but they were balanced for turian - not quarian - physiology which left her a little woozy.

That the kind-faced human doctor wasn't biased against her people - unlike most of the races in council space - filled her with gratitude, not to mention generous pang of guilt that she may have brought danger to her door. But what she needed now was a safe house with an antiseptic clean room where she could remove her suit to conduct permanent repairs while the antibiotics worked their way through her system.

Tali had no time for middlemen, she needed to see this Shadow Broker for herself... gauge whether he would keep his word and then leverage the information she'd collected in order to survive to finish her pilgrimage. None of the Council races and most of the associate members would give a lone _"suit rat"_ the time of day here on the Citadel, especially if it besmirched the reputation of a Council Spectre. Of all the crappy options available, this one seemed the most survivable.

Tali's meditations on her current options were interrupted however, when she saw the tall, war-painted Turian enter from the other side of the corridor as if he owned the place, flanked by two salarians - his bodyguards apparently - in combat armor. Something didn't quite feel right, but she wasn't sure if she trusted her own situational awareness given her mild fever. The Turian walked brazenly right up to her without waiting for pleasantries to be exchanged and ran a hand down her arm, which made the feverish skin inside her exo-suit crawl.

"Did you bring it?' he whispered almost seductively, trying - and failing - to disguise his further groping as a pat down to search for recording devices. Despite her love of the vid, _"Fleet and Flotilla"_ , she did not find the reality of being groped by a strange turian male romantic in the slightest.

"Where's the Shadow Broker?" she asked. She'd been clear she would only deal with the Broker in person and this clearly wasn't him. "Where's Fist"

"The Shadow Broker doesn't meet with just anyone, you know, I'm here to feel you out, make sure you're legit... they'll be here," he muttered in reply as his wandering hands moved down her back to graze over the flare of her hips. It was obvious he did not grasp the difference between _"feeling her out"_ and _"feeling her up"_ , which had her itching to bury her booted foot someplace he would not enjoy at all, "Where's the evidence?"

This had been the wrong thing for the turian to say, as unbeknownst to him, she had _never_ used the word _"evidence"_ to describe the data she had offered to the Shadow Broker. Even in her feverish state, she realized this was a setup.

"No way," she snapped, slapping his hand away from her ass, "the deal's off."

The man backed away and nodded to the two salarians who brought up their shotguns and moved in on her. None of them saw her hand drift behind her back to withdraw the last two of the miniaturized flash-bang grenades that Auntie Rahn had given her before she left on her pilgrimage. She activated them both with a quick slide of her thumb and tossed them to the floor between herself and the two salarians just before she dove for cover behind the archway of the access corridor.

The synchronized detonation of the flash-bangs, one right after the other, gave her the opportunity to charge the shotgun she'd recovered from the Geth along with the files from its audio banks. A compact weapon based upon a very old quarian design that fit into her hands as if built for her.

Uncoordinated and poorly aimed gunfire spattered off the archway as the two partially blinded salarians fired at her - the flash-bangs apparently having done their job - but the fire that came from behind her made her nearly jump out of cover in surprise.

"Get down!" a human female shouted, ramming steel down her spine.

Tali ducked back into cover as the hallway erupted with another volley of assault rifle fire. The human female and a tall human male appeared at either side of the archway, their rifles speaking hyper-velocity death in three round bursts for the mercenaries caught without cover in the corridor. When the echoes faded, the human male knelt beside her to check her for injuries, his large five-fingered hands softer, gentler and much more respectful than the turian's had been moments before.

"You okay? Suit intact?" he asked, his voice soft but strong as he gave her suit a visual once-over for punctures.

Tali nodded at him slowly, noting his kind face, penetrating blue eyes and almost parental interest in her welfare. She knew almost instantly that she could trust him, unlike most of the beings she'd met since leaving the flotilla.

"Fist set me up!" Tali hissed when she could trust herself to speak without her voice shaking, "I knew I couldn't trust him!"

"You sure you're okay?" Kate asked, equally concerned for Tali's health.

She'd done her research on alien species - above and beyond the required study of the _"Possible Alien Combatants"_ manual - during the mandatory classroom portion of the N-7 training program. She was fully aware of how easily a quarian's immune system could be compromised after three hundred years in the sterile environment of the flotilla. The very suit that kept Tali alive was also her prison.

"I can look after myself," Tali replied, "not that I don't appreciate your help. Who are you?"

"Commander Kate Beckett, Alliance Navy," Kate replied, "this is Master Chief Castle, Garrus Vakarian and that's Wrex. I was told that you might have information that proves Saren Arterius is guilty of treason."

"Then I suppose I have a chance to repay you for coming to my rescue, Tali began, "but not here, we need to go someplace safe first."

"How about the Alliance embassy?" Castle asked, then shrugged at Beckett when she rolled her eyes at him. "Ambassador Bracken will want to see this evidence for himself anyway, perhaps he could arrange some sort of asylum for her."

* * *

On the way to the embassy, Beckett sent a call to Esposito to let him know everything had worked out, not to send the cavalry and that they would meet him aboard ship later.

Garrus had begged off going anywhere near Executor Pallin's office, stating that he had reports to file back at C-Sec. Wrex decided he'd rather not get enmeshed in human politics and wandered off to get a flagon of Ryncol at the bar after his omni-tool registered that the rest of his payment from the Shadow Broker had come in, which meant the two of them were on their own.

Bracken stood up from his desk the moment Beckett and Castle walked into the Human embassy with Tali following close behind and he was clearly not happy to see them.

"You're not making my life easier, Commander. He barked harshly. Firefights on the wards? An all out assault on Chora's den? Do you know how many..."

Bracken spluttered to a stop when he saw Tali behind them. A quarian was hard to miss.

"Why is this quarian here?" he started again. What are you up to Beckett?"

"She has evidence that can help us nail Saren," Kate began, giving as good as she got. "Which I would have told you, if you hadn't jumped down my throat as soon as I walked in the door."

"My apologies, Commander," Bracken replied, his voice softening. "This whole thing with Saren has me more on edge than I'd like. Maybe we should start again...miss?"

"My name is Tali," she replied, "Tali'Zorah nar Rayya."

"We don't see many quarians here," Bracken continued. "Why did you leave the flotilla?"

"I was on my pilgrimage," Tali explained, "my rite of passage into adulthood. It's a tradition among my people. When we reach maturity, we leave the ships of our parents and the flotilla behind. Alone we search the stars, only returning to the flotilla once we have discovered something of value to our people. In this way, we prove ourselves worthy of adult responsibilities. Through our pilgrimage we prove that we can contribute to the community rather than a burden on our limited resources."

"I see, miss Zorah," Bracken replied, "please tell me about this evidence you found."

"During my travels," Tali explained, "I began hearing reports of geth. Since they drove my people into exile, the geth have never ventured beyond the Perseus Veil, not even to chase our ancestors when they fled Rannoch. I was curious about why."

Tali looked sideways to Castle, who winked at her, flashing a warm, paternal smile.

"I tracked a patrol of geth to an uncharted world and waited for one of them to become separated from the others," she continued, "I disabled it and removed its memory core."

"I thought the geth fried their memory cores when they died," Montgomery cut in, nobody had seen him come in, nor had they known he'd been listening the whole time, "Some sort of defense mechanism. How did you preserve it?"

"My people created the geth," Tali explained, "if you're quick, careful and lucky, small caches of data can sometimes be saved. Most of the core was wiped clean, but I salvaged something from it's audio banks."

Tali stopped for a moment and activated her omni-tool, paging through the files until she found the audio file she was looking for. She selected it and the file began to play.

"...Eden Prime was a major victory," Saren's voice said on the recording. "The beacon has brought us one step closer to finding the conduit."

"That's Saren!" Montgomery exclaimed. "This proves he was involved in the attack!"

"He said the becaon on Eden Prime brought him one step closer to the conduit," Beckett noted, sending a sideways glance at Castle, "any idea what that means?"

Castle shook his head, everything that the beacon had burned into his brain was jumbled, unclear as if he'd been fed a coded message in an alien language without the encryption key.

"The conduit must have something to do with the beacon. Maybe it's some sort of Prothean tech – a weapon or something."

"Wait," Tali offered, "there's more on the recording, Saren isn't working alone."

She played the message again, this time without interruption:

"...Eden Prime was a major victory. The beacon has brought us one step closer to finding the conduit."

"...and one step closer to the return of the Reapers." a female voice added before the audio file closed.

"I don't recognize that other voice," Bracken said, "the one talking about _reapers._ "

"Are they some new alien species?" Beckett asked.

"According to what little else I could glean from the memory core when I scrubbed it for data," Tali offered, "the reapers were a hyper-advanced machine race that hunted the Protheans to extinction fifty thousand years ago, then vanished. At least that's what this geth seems to believe."

"Sounds pretty far-fetched," Bracken observed.

"It's all starting to make sense now," Castle interjected, his voice dull and almost lifeless like his mind was a million light years away, "the vision the beacon burned into my mind, I think I understand it. The Protheans were being wiped out by the reapers."

"The geth revere the reapers as gods," Tali added, unable to bear the others staring at Castle like he was crazy, "the pinnacle of non-organic life. They would never have followed Saren out of the veil unless they believed he could somehow bring them back."

"The Council is just gonna love this," Bracken muttered sarcastically.

"They would never believe it anyway," Beckett replied, "hell, I'm not sure I believe it. If I didn't trust Castle's word about what he saw, I'm not sure I'd even entertain the possibility."

"We have to get this recording to the Council at the very least," Montgomery added, "they might not believe the rest of it, but this recording proves Saren is a traitor!"

"The captain is right," Bracken agreed, "we need to present this to the Council right away before Saren gets wind that we have it, but what about the quarian?"

"My name is Tali!" Tali objected, then turned to Beckett. "You saw me in the alley, commander, you saw what I can do, not to mention that I'm the closest thing you have to a geth expert. Please, let me come with you."

"What about your pilgrimage?" Castle asked, he saw a lot of Alexis in her, and his father instincts were all kicking in. This mission was dangerous, and she was just a kid who'd been exposed to too much already.

"The pilgrimage exists to let us prove we are willing to give of ourselves for the greater good," Tali replied, pleading her case. "What does it say about me if I turn my back about this? Saren and the geth are a danger to the entire galaxy, my pilgrimage can wait."

Castle was impressed, his comparison of Tali with his daughter was not misplaced. Alexis carried the weight of the world on her shoulders too. She was still unsure of what her place in society would be, only that she wanted to contribute. Alexis would have done no less under the circumstances.

"I'll accept any help I can get," Beckett replied.

"Thanks, Commander," Tali replied, moving to stand next to Castle, subtly mimicking his parade rest stance... at least as well as she could given that her legs bent the opposite way at the knee than a human's did, "you won't regret this."

* * *

When they arrived at the Council chambers for the impromptu meeting that Bracken had hurriedly arranged under the slightly false pretense of discussing the relief efforts for Eden Prime. The three Councilors stood shocked when Bracken announced that they had discovered more evidence about the attack. They were even more surprised when Bracken played the audio file Tali had provided, loud enough so everyone viewing in the gallery above could hear.

" _...Eden Prime was a major victory. The beacon has brought us one step closer to finding the conduit."_

" _...and one step closer to the return of the Reapers."_

"You wanted proof," Bracken's voice boomed. "There it is."

Bracken was in fine form, he'd been wanting to stick it to them all day after their patronizing attitude the night before. He always enjoyed holding the winning cards.

It was Sparatus who shook off his shock first.

"This evidence is irrefutable, Ambassador," he grumbled, "Saren will be stripped of his Spectre status and all efforts will be made to bring him in to answer for his crimes."

"I recognize the other voice on the recording," Tevos replied, still slightly in shock at the revelation, "Matriarch Benezia."

"Who is she?" Beckett asked, much the way she would have asked a witness once upon a time.

"Matriarchs are the oldest, most powerful asari who have entered the final stage of their lives." The Asari Councilor explained. "Revered for their wisdom and life experience, they serve as guides and mentors to my people. Matriarch Benezia is a powerful biotic with many followers. She would make a formidable ally for Saren."

"I'm more interested in these so-called reapers," Councilor Valern chimed in. "Do you know anything about them?"

"Only what was extracted from the geth memory core," Montgomery replied, "apparently the reapers were an ancient race of machines that wiped out the Protheans and then vanished without a trace."

"The geth revere the reapers as gods," Beckett supplied, hoping to keep Castle from jumping into the conversation, "they follow Saren because they believe that he's the prophet for their return."

"As far as this "conduit" Saren mentioned," Montgomery added, "We think it might be the key to bringing them back. Saren is searching for it, which is probably why he attacked Eden Prime... to access the beacon they found there."

"Saren believes it can bring back these Reapers," Kate added, "isn't that bad enough?"

"Think about what you're saying," Sparatus interjected, "Saren wants to bring back a race of machines that wiped out all organic life in the galaxy? Impossible... it has to be. Where did these reapers go? Why did they vanish? How come we have found no trace of their existence? If they were real we would have had to find something!"

"Beckett tried to warn you about Saren and you refused to listen," Castle spoke up, "Don't make the same mistake again."

"This is different," Tevos replied, "You were able to prove that Saren betrayed the Council. We can all agree that he's using the geth to search for this conduit, but what isn't clear is why."

"These reapers are obviously just a myth," Valern added, "a convenient lie to cover Saren's true purpose. A legend he is exploiting to bend the geth to his will."

"Saren is an organic," Tali countered, "the geth would have killed him as soon as he crossed the veil. They have no use for organics! None! They don't respond to persuasion like we do."

"Fifty thousand years ago," Castle shouted, "the reapers wiped out all of galactic civilization. Do you really want to risk Saren finding the conduit and making it happen again?"

"Saren is a rogue agent on the run for his life," Sparatus sputtered. "He no longer has the rights or resources of a Spectre."

"Spectres are chosen because they are resourceful and self reliant," Beckett shouted, "What makes youthink he doesn't have resources of his own?"

"You know he's hiding out there somewhere in the Traverse," Bracken added, "you could send your fleet into the Traverse to search for him!"

"A fleet cannot track down a single turian..." Valern began.

"A Citadel fleet could secure the region," Bracken interrupted. "Keep the geth from attacking any more of our colonies while you run him to ground."

"Or," Sparatus shot back, "it could trigger a war with the Terminus Systems!" We won't be dragged into a galactic confrontation over a few dozen human colonies!"

"Every time humanity has asked for help, you've ignored us," Bracken shouted, getting more wound up with every word, "I'm getting sick and tired of this council and its anti-human bull...!"

"Ambassador!" Tevos interrupted. "There is another solution. A way to track down Saren that does not require fleets or armies, nor will it spark a galactic incident."

"No!" Sparatus shouted, drawing both of the other councilors to stare at him, "It's too soon! Humanity is not ready for the responsibilities of joining the Spectres!"

"It was a turian Spectre who killed one of his own and betrayed the Council," Montgomery shouted, having been pushed past his breaking point, "and Commander Beckett who exposed him, at great personal risk, I might add. She's ready for this, more ready than I was when I stood in this very spot twenty years ago! She's earned it and the only reason not to do so would be unsubstantiated anti-human bias!"

Councilor Sparatus was quiet under Montgomery and Bracken's combined glares, not to mention the scrutiny of the observers in the upper gallery. He had nothing of substance to refute Captain Montgomery's tirade with. His own words had been poorly chosen, too close to Saren's own condemnation of humanity not long ago and his own deeply ingrained societal belief in upholding the greater good warned him he needed to distance himself from the traitorous Saren Arterius.

He nodded his grudging acceptance and the three of them keyed the recording devices on their lecterns.

"Commander Beckett," Tevos commanded, "step forward."

Kate looked at Captain Montgomery, she nodded and she stepped to the front of the dais and snapped to attention. Every person in the upper gallery pressed forward as far as the rails would permit.

"Katherine Houghton Beckett," Tevos continued, "it is the determination of the Council that you be granted the powers and privileges of the Special Tactics and Reconnaissance branch of the Citadel."

"Spectres are not trained, but chosen." Councilor Valern continued, "Individuals forged in the fire of service and battle, whose actions have elevated them above the rank and file."

"Spectres are an ideal," Tevos continued. "A symbol. The embodiment of courage, determination and self reliance. They are the right hand of the council, instruments of our will."

"Spectres bear a great burden," Sparatus added. "They are protectors of galactic peace, both our first and last line of defense. The safety and security of the galaxy is theirs to uphold."

"You are the first human Spectre, Commander," Tevos said in closing. "This is a great accomplishment for you and your entire species."

"Thank you, Councilors," Kate replied politely as she relaxed to parade rest stance. "What's my first mission?"

"We are sending you out into the Traverse after Saren, Commander," Valern stated, "He's a fugitive from justice and you are authorized to use any means necessary to apprehend or eliminate him."

Kate nodded. "I'll find him."

"This meeting of the Citadel Council now stands adjourned." Tevos closed.

"Congratulations, Beckett," Captain Montgomery offered, but was brushed aside by Ambassador Bracken before Kate could reply.

"We've got a lot of work to do, Commander," Bracken interjected, sounding almost excited. "You'll need a ship, a crew, supplies... Come with me Captain Montgomery, I'll need your help to set everything up!"

With that, Montgomery and Bracken quick stepped past Beckett, jostling her into Castle in their haste to exit the council chamber. She collided into his chest with an _'oof'_ escaping her lungs. She looked up to find him staring down at her and before he could stop himself, Castle blurted out the first thought that leaped into his brain.

"You smell like cherries," he whispered, but the spell was suddenly broken when Tali made a low throat clearing noise behind them.

Kate immediately jumped back from him and they both stood still, both blushing pink with sudden embarrassment as Tali regarded them with her arms across her chest.

"I think," Kate said trying her best not to sound absolutely mortified, "we should get back to the ship, Master Chief."

"Sir, yes sir," Castle replied softly, following her out of the suddenly empty chamber.

"You'd think the Ambassador would be a bit more grateful, he didn't even say thank you." Tali said as they descended the stairs from the council chamber on their way back to the elevator to the presidium.

"What do you expect from a politician?" Beckett replied, as they waited for the elevator to open to take them back to the bottom of the Citadel tower. They had a bit to time to kill until they were supposed to meet up with Ambassador Bracken. This was as good a time as any to let off some steam, and Beckett wanted to get to know the new Chief of the Boat.

* * *

 _ ****Author's note** Here it is the next chapter in the story! I am already halfway into chapter six and hope to have it up soon! I will be online tonight at 5 PM Eastern on the Castle Stream Con in case any of you were curious about putting a face to a name!**_


	6. Dr T'Soni, I Presume?

**Chapter Six  
Dr. T'Soni, I Presume?**

* * *

" _Revvin' up your engine  
Listen to her howlin' roar  
Metal under tension  
Beggin' you to touch and go_ _"_  
Kenny Loggins "Danger Zone"

* * *

"Come on, let's make a stop on our way back to the ship, I could use a cup of decent coffee," Kate offered as they descended the stairs back down in the garden atrium.

"That place in the presidium near embassy row looked pretty nice," Castle offered., "Tali, you in?"

"You two go ahead," Tali replied, feeling incredibly self-conscious, which thankfully - like most of her secrets - was hidden by her exo-suit. "I need to gather my things from where I've been staying, I'll meet you at the ship."

She didn't tell them that she was essentially homeless, nor was there anything to retrieve. Everything she owned not being held for her by Auntie Rahn back on the flotilla was in the pockets of her suit.

Quarians were not held in high esteem on the Citadel, especially when it came to the shops and restaurants of the presidium. _"We don't serve quarians"_ was a litany she'd heard more than once since she'd arrived. _"Suit-rat"_ was among the less offensive things she'd heard whispered after being turned away. She'd been warned before leaving the flotilla how deeply ingrained in Citadel space the bias against quarians was, but she didn't really believe it until she arrived on the station. Even the volunteers distributing dextro-based food paste at the turian-run homeless shelter on the wards looked at her with contempt.

Though Commander Beckett and Chief Castle seemed nearly oblivious to it, the attraction between the two of them was strong and she didn't want to interfere with their plans. They had both been very kind to her and she didn't want to draw them into her problems so she kept her feelings to herself and tried to appear jovial and upbeat.

* * *

Castle and Beckett walked to the public transit port and hopped a shuttle for the embassy wing of the presidium. When they arrived they were held up by an Indian male wearing a conservative suit waving to get their attention.

"Commander Beckett," the man spoke in introduction, the accent of his native India clear in his tired-sounding voice, "my name is Samesh Bhatia. Please forgive the intrusion, but I have nowhere else to turn."

"It's no trouble, Mr Bhatia," Kate replied, her empathy for the clearly grieving man evident in her tone, "what can I do for you?"

"My wife was a Marine with the 212 on Eden Prime," Bhatia replied.

"Wait, the 212?" Castle interjected. "Your wife was Private Nirali Bhatia?" To which Samesh nodded sadly. "I'm Chief Castle, I was her squad leader."

"Chief Castle," Samesh replied, "I am honored by your presence, Nirali spoke of you with great respect."

"I'm sorry for your loss, Mr. Bhatia," Castle offered, straightening to attention, "Nirali was my comm specialist and a damn fine Marine. What can we do for you?"

"The Alliance has not yet released Nirali's body to me. I have tried to appeal to Alliance Command, but so far they have refused my request."

"I can put in a word with the embassy, Mr. Bhatia," Kate offered, "see if I can clear the red tape and speed things along."

"I just want to give my wife a proper funeral, the respect she deserves. I thank you for any help you can offer," Samesh added, "The man in charge of my case is a civilian clerk named Mr. Bosker, when last I saw him, he was in the expensive bar upstairs."

"Nirali's one of _my_ Marines, sir," Castle replied, "The burst she took was meant for me, had our positions been reversed and my daughter were in your shoes, Nirali would do the same."

Castle shook Samesh's hand before he turned smartly and followed Beckett up the stairs, his feet carrying him with military precision. He was on a mission, one final duty to his former squad, which he took very seriously.

* * *

The young clerk, Raymond Bosker noticed them as soon as they walked into the bar and hastened to meet them the moment he heard them ask the bartender where they could find him.

"Commander Beckett," Bosker gushed, trying not to stare, "Your appointment as a Council Spectre made for quite the briefing in the Diplomatic Corps! Is there something I can do for you?"

"Yes, there is," Beckett replied smartly, "you can fast track the release of Private Nirali Bhatia's remains to her husband. Immediately."

"Commander," the clerk replied, "nothing would make me happier, but I'm afraid it isn't quite that simple. The wound patterns on her corpse are inconsistent with any type of mass accelerator weapon we've encountered to date. She's one of fifteen casualties from Eden Prime being held over for further testing."

"I don't care how badly the geth mangled her body," Beckett replied, her voice becoming dangerously icy, "it's her husband's right to claim her."

"Commander, the tests being conducted may lead to better defenses against geth weaponry," Bosker replied, squirming just a little, "respectfully, Private Bhatia and the rest of her squad may save more lives in death than they did in life."

This was entirely the wrong thing to say in front of Castle, who was dangerously close to punching the young civilian clerk out. Instead, he reached behind his back to remove a very wicked looking rifle from his left shoulder hard-point and thrust it into Bosker's arms so hard he could hear the huff of breath forced from the man's lungs.

"Wh...what's this?" Bosker husked, as if he'd never held a rifle before, nearly dropping the weapon.

"It's the weapon that killed her," Castle snapped at him angrily, barely controlled rage palpable in his voice and his eyes, "if you'd been willing to get your own hands dirty, you'd have found them scattered all over Eden Prime's spaceport. You want to study something? Study that and release the hold you've placed on the bodies of my Marines so they can be laid to rest with honor."

Castle turned angrily on his heel and marched back out of the cafe without waiting to be dismissed. Beckett glared at the clerk for good measure then followed him out and down the stairs. Her comm beeped with a message on their way down, and she checked her omni-tool to confirm the status of the fallen Marines from Eden Prime.

"Hello again, Commander," Samesh Bhatia greeted, rising from his seat in the Embassy waiting area, "has there been any word?"

"I reminded Mr. Bosker of the debt we owe to the families of our honored dead," Castle replied, "Nirali and the rest of my Marines will be going home to be laid to rest with full honors."

"I received word," Beckett interjected, "they'll be transported to Jump Zero aboard SSV Iwo Jima when it arrives at fifteen hundred. From there, each of them will be transported home. I've taken the liberty of arranging passage and a berth for you on board."

"Thank you for your help, Chief Castle, Commander Beckett," Mr Bhatia replied sadly, "What you have done for me does not bring me happiness, but it may bring me peace."

"Mr. Bhatia," Castle added softly, touching his shoulder to delay him for a moment, "I don't know if this helps, but Nirali loved you very much. She missed your cooking and played your recordings every chance she got."

"I know, Chief Castle," Samesh replied sadly, "but thank you. It is good to hear it again."

* * *

 **Two hours later**

The aging Alliance Frigate SSV Iwo Jima slid like a white and blue ghost into the berth adjacent to the Normandy before the gangway and docking clamps locked on. The venerable old warship - one of a dwindling number of vessels that had seen action in the First Contact War still in active service – was standing in to the Citadel as the final port of call before returning to the Sol system. Her final trip home before the scrapyard was now a matter of honor.

Shortly after Normandy's civilian workers from her shakedown cruise climbed the gangway carrying their footlockers and disappeared inside, five Alliance Marines dressed in pin-straight spotless undress uniforms and spit-shined boots marched in grim lockstep down the gangway to meet a cargo loading truck as it slid to a stop on the docking platform. Normandy's crew stopped what they were doing and gathered smartly alongside their ship's gangway.

"Ship's company," Castle barked. "Ten hut!"

Captain Montgomery, XO Beckett and the ship's company of the SSV Normandy snapped to attention as the cargo doors of the loading truck slid open.

"Present... arms!" Castle barked and every right hand swept slowly to their brow. They stood at rigid attention in absolute silence as one by one the Marine honor guard transferred fifteen flag-draped ceramic composite coffins by hand from the loading truck to Iwo Jima's waiting cargo bay. Castle's blue eyes glared fiercely, his only outward show of emotion, the single tear that tracked down his cheek as he bid his last farewell to the men and women he had once led in combat.

When the honor guard reached Samesh Bhatia standing next to his wife's coffin, the officer in charge of the detail snapped to attention, saluted, then turned smartly and stood with him as the detail lifted her coffin and transferred it to the Iwo Jima with the others. With their solemn task completed, the honors detail closed ranks behind Samesh and their Lieutenant and the entire group boarded the ship in slow measured lockstep.

He knew that a Marine would be posted in the cargo bay bearing full arms the entire trip to Jump Zero and from there, each of the fifteen coffins would make the solemn journey to their final resting places with an honor guard. Samesh Bhatia would be looked after as well, carefully tended to under the watchful care of the Marines of SSV Iwo Jima. Castle knew he would be making this trip with them if his presence was not required elsewhere, but his duty to the living superseded that of the dead.

Saren Arterius and his geth had much to answer for and if Master Chief Richard Castle had his way, that answer would be provided downrange at muzzle velocity.

"Order... arms!" Castle barked.

"Dismissed," Captain Montgomery ordered, "all hands, report to departure stations."

As the crew dispersed and went back to their duties, Montgomery stopped Beckett at the sight of Ambassador Bracken stepping off the lift.

"Commander Beckett, I've got important news," Bracken said, "Captain Montgomery has agreed to step down as commanding officer of the Normandy, the ship is yours now."

"She's the perfect ship for your mission," Montgomery told her, "quick, quiet and you already know the crew."

"I spoke to Admiral Hackett," Bracken added, handing her a black box, "he approved my recommendation for a field promotion. Congratulations, _Captain_ Beckett."

Kate stood in shocked silence as she opened the box containing the rank pins and shoulder boards of an Alliance Navy Captain.

"I also have a lead for you," Bracken continued, "Matriarch Benezia has a daughter, Dr. Liara T'Soni, an archaeologist specializing in the Protheans. Her travel itinerary has her excavating Prothean ruins in the Artemis Tau cluster. Given her area of expertise, Benezia might have tried to recruit her. We don't know if she's involved in what her mother's doing - according to my sources they've been estranged for at least a decade - but it couldn't hurt to find her and see what she knows."

"I'll look into it, Ambassador," Kate replied, snapping closed the box bearing her new rank insignia.

"As a Spectre, you answer directly to the Council now," Montgomery told her, "not to us or Alliance Command."

"I'll deal with Saren," Kate replied confidently.

Bracken stopped and looked at his beeping omni-tool, then cleared his throat to prevent any further questions.

"I have an important meeting to attend to," he muttered, as he turned back toward the elevator, "Captain Montgomery can answer any further questions you might have."

"How are you holding up sir?" Kate asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence after Bracken was out of earshot.

"Honestly?" Montgomery muttered. "This isn't how I pictured my military career coming to an end."

"This doesn't feel _right_ ," Kate complained, her eyes absently taking in the sleek lines of the Normandy, "I feel like I'm stealing her from you."

"You're a Spectre now," Montgomery replied with conviction., "You need to operate independently, do whatever it takes, not have the crew constantly look over your shoulder for _my_ permission. I had to step aside."

"Any advice for tracking down Saren?" Kate asked.

"Saren's gone," Montgomery stated, which surprised her, "don't even try to find him. If these reapers are out there, _they_ represent the real threat."

"I hate to admit it, but I think I'm with the Council on that one," Beckett replied, "I want to believe Castle, but I'm not sure they exist, at least not anymore."

"That's not a chance we can afford to take," Montgomery countered. " _Saren_ clearly believes they exist, and that he can bargain with them, he wouldn't have pushed it this far if he didn't. If this conduit he's got the geth scouring the galaxy for is the key to bringing them back you have to keep him from getting his hands on it at all costs."

"Yes sir," Kate replied.

"Get your uniform sorted out and we'll officially change over command shortly."

* * *

 **One hour later  
Normandy CIC  
**

Captain Kate Beckett appeared in the stairwell door to the CIC, her head up, shoulders set and back straight, but still concealing her misgivings over what she was there to do.

"Attention to orders," Captain Montgomery commanded. Everyone in the CIC stopped what they were doing, turned to face him and snapped to attention. Kate marched smartly up to where Captain Montgomery was standing and saluted.

"I hereby accept command of SSV Normandy," Kate stated clearly, "Captain Montgomery, I relieve you sir."

"Captain Beckett, I stand relieved." Montgomery replied, saluted and stepped aside for her to take her place at the captain's console overlooking the galaxy map, "duty officer, so note in the ship's log."

"Aye sir," the young lieutenant jg at the duty station replied.

Captain Montgomery made his way to the forward lock, laying a hand on the shoulder of everyone - both officer and enlisted - as he passed their station. When he finally reached the airlock, Master Chief Castle snapped to full attention and saluted as the airlock door slid open and the bosun's whistle sounded.

"Captain Montgomery departing," Castle stated.

"Stand ready for departure," Kate commanded, "all stations report in."

"Engine room reports ready," Chief Engineer Adams voice stated through the comm.

"Helm reports ready," Ryan stated through the comm.

The litany of ship's departments reported in crisply, followed by silence as the officers in the CIC waited expectantly for orders.

"Alliance tower has granted departure clearance." Gunnery Chief Hastings reported.

"Retract docking clamps, disengage umbilical and clear all moorings," Kate ordered, "navigational thrusters hold station."

"Thrusters at station keeping," Ryan reported from his seat farther forward on the flying bridge,

"Thrusters back one quarter," Kate ordered. "Dim running lights as we pass the Iwo Jima, then come right ninety degrees as we clear the mag-con field."

"Aye Captain," Ryan replied, his hands dancing over the helm's haptic display "helm answering."

SSV Normandy slid backwards, her running lights dimmed in grim salute to the Iwo Jima and her precious cargo of honored dead as she slipped from her berth. Her lights returned to standard after she cleared the mag-con field. Her wings slid into cruise configuration as her bow swung away from the docking ring toward the nebula and open space.

"Main engines at your command," Adams reported through the comm.

"All ahead one third, Mr. Ryan, take us out," Captain Beckett ordered and Normandy's four vectored-thrust main engines flared to life powering her away from the Citadel.

Kate thumbed the control on her console to put her on the ship's speakers.

"All hands, this is the Captain speaking," Kate began. "We have our orders; find the renegade Saren Arterius and bring him to justice. This may have started with an attack on a human colony in the Traverse, but Saren and his geth followers won't be content to wait on the fringes of Citadel Space for long."

Kate paused for a moment to let her words sink in before she continued.

"For too long our species has stood apart, but now it's time for Humanity to step up and show the rest of the galaxy that we're ready to pull our share of the load. Saren's followers may be waiting for us out in the Traverse, but though we are outnumbered, we must not falter in our duty. Saren must be stopped so we'll do what Marines have always done: adapt, improvise and overcome."

"As Dwight D. Eisenhower said on the eve of the battle for which this ship was named, the eyes of the galaxy are upon us. The hopes of liberty-loving people everywhere - regardless of species - go with us. I have full confidence in each and every one of you to do what is necessary. Semper Fi."

No sooner had Kate cut the audio feed, than she heard Castle bellow from his station, "Ooo _rah_!" followed shortly by the same response from the bridge crew.

"Set course for the Mass Relay," Kate ordered, "Destination; Artemis Tau cluster. Mister Pressly you have the deck, inform me when we reach the PNR for the Artemis Tau relay."

"Aye Captain," the newly minted XO replied, replacing Kate at the command console before she departed the CIC and took the stairs down to the Captain's cabin to unpack.

* * *

 **Normandy Captain's Cabin**

Kate had no sooner finished unpacking her things, including her mother's ceramic elephant family on parade which she placed on her desk that she heard the door chime.

"Come," she called out, to find a young woman waiting in the doorway when it slid open.

"Captain Beckett, do you have a minute?" the noncom asked tentatively.

"I keep an open-door policy, chief..." Kate asked.

"Gunnery Chief Hastings, ma'am." Ann Hastings offered, standing in the doorway at full attention.

"Hastings, if my Aunt Teresa comes aboard, you can call her _ma'am_. Call me _sir_ or _captain_."

"Yes, Captain," Hastings replied.

"As you were," Kate stated, "come in."

Hastings stepped crisply in the doorway and stood in front of Kate's desk at parade rest. "Permission to speak freely, Captain."

"Granted, Chief Hastings," Kate offered, "speak your mind."

"All right," Hastings began tentatively, not sure how she would be received, "I know things are different on the Normandy with you being a Council Spectre and all, but I'm concerned about the aliens – Vakarian, Wrex and the quarian. With all due respect, sir, I'm not sure whether they should have unfettered access to the ship."

"They may not serve the Alliance, Gunny," Kate replied, "but they're our allies, at least for this mission anyway."

"This is the most advanced ship in the Alliance Navy, sir," Hastings continued, "are you sure they should have free reign to poke around the vital systems... engines, sensors, weapons?"

"Are you saying we shouldn't trust our allies?" Kate asked, wanting to get to the bottom of Hastings' concerns.

"I'm not saying we should turn down allies, sir, I'm just not sure we should be so quick to call them _"allies"._ We - humanity I mean - have to learn to stand up for ourselves."

"Hastings, I'm guessing you haven't had much experience working with aliens, have you?" Kate asked rhetorically. "Standing up for ourselves doesn't necessarily mean standing alone."

"No, sir," Hastings replied, "Until I cross trained in ops this past year, I served mainly in the surface garrison forces. Closest I'd been to a space posting before that was my rotation at Jump Zero for combat training - every Marine a rifleman, every rifleman zero gee certified _-_ so no, I haven't served around many aliens."

"All right, Hastings, I can see where your concerns are coming from, but Captain Montgomery didn't go in for any of that Terra Firma _"go it alone"_ claptrap on this ship and neither will I. This is a multilateral mission so you're gonna have to suck it up, Marine and work with aliens whether you like it or not, understood?"

Hastings snapped to attention and saluted.

"Sir, yes sir!" she replied, "It won't be a problem, sir! You tell me to jump and I'll ask you "how high?" You tell me to kiss a turian and I'll ask "which cheek?", sir!"

"I don't think kissing turians will be necessary, Gunny," Kate demurred. "but before you discount our non-human shipmates out of hand, you may want to try getting to know them first. Dismissed."

* * *

 **Four Hours Later**

After three mass relay jumps, the Normandy burst through the Artemis Tau relay into normal space. Kate - who had since returned to the CIC – stood at the command console behind the galaxy map and waited as all stations secured from relay transit.

"Signal contact, Captain!" Gunnery Chief Hastings exclaimed, "Bearing: two four zero, LIDAR silhouette matches geth ship profiles from Eden Prime... size suggests a cruiser!"

"Sound general quarters!" Kate ordered. "Set condition one throughout the ship, engage IES stealth system and go to silent running."

Alarm klaxons sounded throughout the ship and the Normandy VI's calm female voice began to drone:

" _General quarters, general quarters all hands man your battle stations. This is not a drill. All stations go to silent running, condition one is in effect."_

Normandy's emission sinks initialized and all non-critical heat generating systems were shut down. Within seconds, her heat and EM emissions were reduced to zero. Ship's lighting dimmed and the CIC lighting switched to red.

"Action stations, torpedo," Kate ordered, "load forward tubes one and two with disruptor torpedoes tubes three through six with anti-ship munitions and plot firing solution. Aft torpedo tubes load silver bullets Stand ready GUARDIAN defense grid. Mister Ryan, take us in, slow and quiet, get us as close as you can. We need to take that cruiser out on our first pass or or it'll cut us to pieces."

"As long as we don't start broadcasting the Russian National Anthem, I'll take us right down its throat," Ryan joked, but nobody laughed.

"Fifteen hundred kilometers and closing," Hastings reported.

"Fire control reports torpedo bays one through six ready in all respects." XO Pressly stated tersely

"Targeting solution plotted and locked into fire control computer, GUARDIAN defense grid on standby."

"One thousand kilometers," Hatings reported.

"Open outer doors, set forward torpedo tubes to ripple-fire mode," Kate ordered, "spread pattern Sierra."

"Five hundred kilometers," Hastings reported, "at present speed we are fifteen seconds from visual targeting range."

"Torpedo guidance locked." Pressly reported, "we have tone."

"Two hundred fifty kilometers," Hastings reported, "now entering visual acquisition range."

"Drop stealth mode and activate GUARDIAN defense grid on my mark," Beckett ordered,

"One hundred fifty kilometers, now entering knife fight range," Hastings reported, "zero aspect change on target."

"Fire torpedoes! Emergency starboard!" Kate ordered. "Hard over!"

"Torpedoes away!" Pressly reported. "Running hot straight and normal."

Six torpedoes streaked from Normandy's forward torpedo tubes before Ryan banked the ship hard to starboard to bring her aft tubes to bear, straining the ship's artificial gravity in the process.

The two disruptor torpedoes detonated ten meters from the hull clouding the sensors for the cruiser's defense grid seconds before the four anti-ship _"silver bullets"_ struck home at a forty-five degree angle to the insectoid-looking geth cruiser's primary hull and detonated in sequence. The last torpedo's warhead took the cruiser's mass effect core with it, tearing the ship nearly in two.

"Four direct hits amidships!" Hastings shouted. "we have secondaries."

Cheers went up in the CIC for the Normandy's first combat victory, her stealth system having allowed her to get in close enough to punch well out of her weight class. Secondary explosions wracked the geth cruiser as it lost structural integrity and began to break up.

"Enemy cruiser breaking up, no escape pods detected," Hastings reported and suddenly the CIC went quiet. The geth cruiser may have been an enemy vessel crewed by synthetics, but destroying another ship and wiping out her crew never felt entirely like a victory. It was what separated organics from synthetics, after all... empathy. Every crew of every warship that ever sailed into combat knew that one day it might be their number that came up. Such were the fortunes of war.

"LIDAR scan reveals no other ships in the area," Hastings reported.

"Stand down from silent running and vent the heat sinks," Kate ordered, "Prepare for orbital insertion. Castle, Esposito, Vakarian, report to the Mako for combat drop. Mr. Pressly, you have the deck."

* * *

As Castle, Beckett, Esposito and Garrus climbed into the Mako, Castle felt slightly confused about the seating arrangements. Kate was at the Mako's controls, when typically the commander held the turret seat and the crew chief had the driver's seat. When Kate caught his questioning look she shrugged and said "I like to drive."

With that logistical issue settled, Castle slid into the seat next to hers which annoyed Esposito slightly. Garrus slid into the gunner's seat Kate had left vacant and muttered something about _"calibrations"_ while they strapped in and Kate powered up the Mako's systems.

" _M-35 Mako serial number 11438 powering up,"_ The Mako's AI reported dutifully, _"Element zero core one hundred percent - initializing mass effect field. Environmental systems engaged. Primary drop thrusters nominal. Fire control system active. Kinetic barriers in standby mode."_

"Transferring core control to Mako," XO Pressly reported. "Drop profile nominal, landing zone targeted, approach vector locked in. Launch catapult engaged and locked on."

There was a slight rumble as Normandy's artificial gravity gave way to Therum's just before the cargo bay's forward ramp slid down and locked, giving them a view of the geologically active surface of the planet getting closer as the ship dropped from the sky to put them on their drop coordinates.

"Drop in ten seconds," Pressly noted, "nine... eight... seven... six... five... four... three... two... one... drop!"

"One express elevator to hell," Castle snarked just before the catapult system engaged, gaining him an eye-roll from Kate, "going down!"

The Mako burst from the cargo bay and the landing thrusters fired, easily countering the vehicle's artificially reduced mass. Within ten seconds they soft-landed on the surface of Therum with a barely noticeable jolt when all six wheels made contact with the surface and rolled to a stop with twenty feet to spare.

"Transferring coordinates for the Prothean ruins to your navigational computer," Hastings noted, "good hunting, Captain."

"Keep IES on standby in case the geth come looking for their cruiser," Kate ordered as she set the Mako in motion toward their objective, "I'd rather not become a permanent resident on this rock."

"Understood, Captain," Pressly replied, "reducing EM emissions, IES to stand-by."

The ride to the Prothean ruins hadn't been exactly a smooth one, due not just to the to the heavy volcanic activity, but the presence of geth armature and colossus class units which sought to eliminate or delay them. It had been pretty slow going until they reached an outcropping that the Mako could not squeeze through without giving away their position.

They set the Mako to automatic defense mode and moved with Castle on point into the chasm. Thankfully the same Chasm that had kept the Mako out also kept the armature class heavy units from moving effectively as well, so they faced mostly standard, bipedal geth platforms. With their massed firepower and some well-placed sniper shots courtesy of Garrus, they were able to fight their way to the access ports leading to the ruins, only to be stopped short by the presence of a massive geth colossus.

Each of them dove for cover as the massive, sauropod-shaped colossus opened up with the MAC cannon in its head.

"Op-six to Normandy," Kate called out out, transmitting it's location with her omni tool. "Target: geth walker! One hundred meters magnetic south of our position, target painted, fire for effect!"

Seconds later, a single disruptor torpedo streaked down out of the sky and the colossus and it's defensive screen were enveloped by its short range EMP field. Though that class of weapon had been initially designed to fry a warship's GUARDIAN defense grid, it clearly had a similar effect on geth neural processes. Kate was certain that if the thing were studied, it's memory core would be fried just as effectively.

Resistance was minimal after entry into the complex set up by the archaeology team to protect the ruins, only a few geth platforms, who seemed to be more easily defeated now that there were fewer of them. Something that Tali had mentioned in the notes she had provided about how the geth were created. That they gained intelligence and complexity with numbers. When said numbers were reduced, they lost that. After descending two levels they approached the main Prothean ruins when a quiet, definitely female voice called out to them from the bottom of a set of stairs.

"Uh... hello? Can you hear me out there? I am trapped and I need help!"

Beckett and her team carefully descended the debris-laden staircase toward the sound of the voice, to find a single Asari. Her lithe feminine curves in the tight jumpsuit she wore were somehow accentuated by being suspended spread-eagle in the air by what appeared to be a security force field. Esposito seemed to be having a hard time moving his eyes up to meet her blue skinned face.

"Dr. T'Soni, I presume?" Castle and Beckett stated almost in unison, then looked at each other quizzically.

"Do they practice this stuff?" Garrus whispered to Esposito, who shrugged.

"Thank the Goddess!" Liara exclaimed, as the squad moved in closer, "I did not think that anyone would come looking for me! I am trapped in some sort of Prothean security security field. I cannot move so I need you to find a way inside the Prothean complex to get me out."

"How did you end up in there?" Kate asked.

"I was exploring the ruins when the geth showed up, so I hid in here." Liara replied, her concern for her predicament temporarily overridden by scientific excitement "Can you believe that? Geth! Beyond the veil!"

"I figured out how to activate the tower's defenses. The barrier curtains successfully kept them at bay, but when I turned them on, I must have touched something I was not supposed to, or got the sequence wrong. The tower's defenses must have perceived me as a threat and the security field trapped me here. You must get me out! Please!"

"Your mother is working with the Saren and the geth," Kate replied tersely, not sure why she was suddenly overcome with a twinge of jealousy, "Who's side are you on, exactly?"

"What?" Liara exclaimed, almost insulted by the reference to her mother, "I am not on anyone's side! We had a falling out - as you humans put it – over my chosen field of study I have not spoken to her in years!"

It was clear to Kate that that struck a nerve in Castle, she saw his body language shift. No longer looking at the beautiful Asari lustfully, but a more paternal, protective expression she rarely saw displayed on his features. She knew he had a daughter and the mother was not in the picture – that much was in his personnel file - and wondered, not for the first time what sort of falling out had taken place there.

"Please," Liara pleaded, which clearly had Castle's full attention, "just get me out of here. There is a control panel in here that will disable the security field, you just have to find a way past the barrier curtain. But be warned, there is a Krogan with the geth who has been testing the defenses, trying to get inside."

"Sit tight," Castle offered, trying to be supportive, "we'll see what we can do!"

With that, they moved farther down the ramp toward the remains of the science team's camp, where the bodies of the asari and salarian archaeology and geology teams still lay sprawled where they fell. The few remaining geth guarding the camp were easily swept aside.

Castle stopped to examine the excavation laser. From the notes left by the geological team leader in it's control interface console, it was clear that the magma encrusted tower discovered by the geologic survey team was seated in a region of tectonic instability and likely had been abandoned in a hurry near the time of the Prothean extinction given how complete the ruins were. The laser had already been primed to create an easier path to what had once been the original ground level. Likely to create a ramp to the tower's garage to get their heavier equipment inside. With a few tweaks to the mining laser's targeting computer Castle set it to bore through the wall of the complex, closer to Dr. T'Soni's location and set the firing program.

The mining laser activated and it's limited VI program ran the allotted burst to carve out a smooth slope down to one of the lower floors of the tower and cut through the wall before it stopped. While the rock and metal cooled, everybody took the chance to perform armor repairs before they descended into the complex.

The comparison between the camp and the ancient Prothean geothermal complex was as different as night and day. The corridors were dimly lit, the only sound a calm voice that droned in an alien language they assumed was Prothean - likely an intruder alert warning given Dr. T'Soni's current predicament - the flavor of which was similar enough to the voices in his dreams to fill Castle with an ominous sense of dread, which he did his best to hide.

He nearly jumped out of his skin at the light touch of Kate's hand at his shoulder.

"Easy, Castle," she whispered as they ascended a set of stairs leading up to where they had last seen Dr. T'soni, "look sharp."

When they finally swept the room, Castle saw Dr. T'soni, her back turned to them, still suspended in mid-air. It took a moment for her to realize they were there.

"How... how did you get in?" Liara asked almost incredulously, "I did not think there was any way past the barrier curtains."

"Your survey team had a mining laser set up," Beckett replied, "we used it to cut our way into one of the lower floors."

"Yes, of course," Liara nodded, "my team was planning to excavate a path to the garage. From what little I could translate, this site had been plagued by tectonic instability since the Prothean era. It was only a matter of time before the tower was buried again, or destroyed and there was too much working Prothean technology here to lose, but there is no time for that now. That console over there should shut down the security field. We need to move quickly before the geth discover your handiwork and find us."

Castle looked over the console - despite the jumble of images in his brain, it seemed... familiar somehow. His fingers found the right sequence almost without conscious thought and the security field holding Liara prisoner cut out, dropping the stunningly beautiful asari archaeologist unceremoniously to the deck with a loud "oof" before she gathered herself to her full height, only slightly taller than Beckett.

"Dr. T'Soni," Kate asked brusquely, "we don't have a lot of time. How do we get out of this place?"

"There is a cargo lift in the center of the tower," Liara replied, "or at least I think it is a cargo lift. It should take us to the top of the tower and the exit shaft of the upper dig-site. Come on, I will show you."

Kate waved her to the front of the line, wary to have her so close to Castle for reasons her own brain could not seem to process, she rejected the idea of jealousy though the green eyed monster was clearly evident, had anyone been able to see her eyes behind the visor of her helmet.

"I still cannot believe all of this," Liara commented as the lift moved slowly up to the top of the tower, "Why would the geth come after me? Do you really think that Benezia is involved?"

"Saren's looking for something called "the conduit," Kate replied coolly, "and you _are_ a Prothean expert."

"The conduit?" Liara asked, a blank look on her face, "But I have never found any evidence to support..."

Suddenly the entire tower shook, causing the light in the elevator to flicker.

"What the hell?" Garrus swore, though it was clear that Esposito wasn't far behind with a few choice Spanish epithets of his own.

"These ruins are not seismically stable," Liara offered "one of the reasons the archaeology team was considering cutting into the tower was to secure as many artifacts as possible for study before it could be destroyed. The initial geth bombardment and the use of the mining laser may have prematurely triggered a major seismic event. If the next quake is strong enough, the surrounding basalt may cave in and destroy the tower."

Kate swore under her breath before she keyed her comm. "Op-six to Normandy, we need emergency evac. Lock onto my signal and get down here on the double!"

"Aye Aye, Captain," Pressly replied, "eta, eight minutes!"

The lift shuddered to a stop at the uppermost floor it could reach just before the power fluctuated again. Before they could get moving, however, they were confronted by a squad of geth platforms lead by the Krogan battlemaster Liara had warned them about.

"Surrender!" The krogan bellowed. "Or don't, that would be more fun!"

Beckett's shoulders tensed and her eyes narrowed, clearly _not_ of a mind to surrender. Esposito recognized the fire in her eyes. He had seen much the same expression when she took command of the garrison on Elysium and the young, poorly trained militia volunteers began to panic and talk about falling back. He remembered her _No retreat, no surrender_ speech by heart. Last he heard every school age child on Elysium memorized it with the same reverence as the Gettysburg Address.

"This whole place is about to come down around our ears!" Kate barked at the krogan.

"I know," the big reptilian alien replied. "Exhilarating isn't it?"

"We don't have time for this shit," Kate growled, "charge and lock!"

Castle charged biotics and ejected his spent thermal clip as the the others readied their weapons, forming a defensive phalanx around the Asari civilian, who knelt behind the lift console and raised a protective barrier.

"Heh, heh, heh," The Krogan chuckled menacingly, as he motioned for the geth at his flank to attack, "I like your attitude."

The double strength geth squad spread out quickly, dividing their fire, their unintelligible stuttering clicks reminding Castle of homicidal metallic dolphins. He burst forward in a biotic charge, unleashing a shock-wave into this path as he went, sending three geth flying like bowling pins. Garrus backed him up with well-aimed rifle fire as Beckett and Esposito hammered away with their rifles at the other geth from the cover of Liara's biotic barrier.

The krogan turned and faced down Castle, ignoring the firefight between his geth and the others behind him.

"Never faced a _human_ biotic before," he rumbled, "not as disappointing as I'd thought."

"You'll find that I'm full of surprises!" Castle shot back as he faked a biotic charge and dive-rolled under the krogan's warp pulse - making the large alien turn awkwardly to keep sight of him - directly into the singularity Liara opened in the spot behind him that Castle had vacated.

"Impressive..." The krogan rumbled, right before his barrier cut out and he was dragged to his death in the singularity's gravity well.

No sooner had the geth been defeated, the seismic tremors in the corridor began in earnest. Alert klaxons sounded and the sense of urgency in the alien voice in the corridors increased just before the power cut out entirely, the magma in the pocket having enveloped the tower's barely functional reactor. The lights went out and the barrier curtains cut out as everyone followed Liara through the maze of corridors and collapsing stairwells until they finally reached daylight and the waiting Normandy, her cargo bay opened for them to jump from the from the gantry to safety just before the entire facility was enveloped in molten lava.

The Normandy streaked for open space and then made her best speed for the Mass Relay.

"Too close, Captain, sir," Ryan quipped, "the Normandy wasn't designed to land in exploding volcanoes. They tend to fry our sensors and melt our hull... just for future reference."

Flight Lieutenant Kevin Ryan was one of the best pilots in the Alliance Navy - ruined knee or not - and she knew he meant no actual disrespect, but Captain Beckett was beginning to understand why he gave Roy Montgomery migraines.

* * *

 _ ****Author's note** I wasn't originally going to use the scene featuring Samesh Bhatia here, (it was slated for a later chapter) but after the disrespectful actions of a certain presidential candidate toward a**_ _ **Gold Star Family**_ _ **, I felt it necessary to include it sooner in honored memory of Captain Humayun Saqib Muazzam Khan, United States Army.**_

 _ **The families of our servicemen and women who fall in combat deserve our unconditional support and respect for what their loved ones have unflinchingly sacrificed for this nation regardless of race, creed, sexual orientation, religion or nation of origin. Anyone who cannot respect that does not deserve to be commander in chief. Period. Full stop.**_

 _ **Honor the fallen.**_


	7. Interlude

**Chapter Seven  
Interlude**

* * *

" _What I've felt, what I've known  
Never shined through in what I've shown.  
Never free. Never me.  
So I dub thee unforgiven." _  
Metallica: The Unforgiven

* * *

The team Beckett had put together to defeat Saren gathered in the Normandy's holographic comm room as it was the only reasonably secure location on the ship large enough for them to all be seated comfortably, considering one of their number was a rather large krogan.

Nearly the entire mid watch chattered nervously when Wrex passed through the CIC in full battle armor, weapons on display, grumbling about the width of the passage up the stairs, from b-deck along with how narrow and low the doors were. Ryan had a shotgun from the flying bridge weapons locker next to him on his seat, charged, locked and the safety off just in case while he plotted the relay jumps necessary to make a rendezvous with the nearest Alliance task group to replace the Mako which had been lost when the caldera underneath the Prothean ruin had gone active.

When everyone took a seat, including their new guest, Dr. Liara T'Soni – who was seated a little too close to Castle for Beckett's liking – she brought the meeting to order.

"Now that we've made our escape, Dr. T'Soni, what exactly did the Geth want with you? Do you know anything about this Conduit?"

Liara cast her eyes about nervously, Wrex being a little too close for her own comfort - the last Krogan she'd met had wanted to either kill her or abduct her to goddess knew where - and she could sense the latent hostility coming from the human woman in charge. The broad shouldered human male seemed to be the only sympathetic person in the room, so she'd gravitated toward him, which seemed to be a mistake as that seemed to increase said latent hostility.

"Only that it seemed to be connected to the Prothean extinction, the real focus of my field of study," she replied. "I have spent the last fifty years trying to figure out what happened to them, but only found scant evidence either way. This... _'conduit'_ you speak of has only come up twice before in my research, and only by name."

"Fifty years?" Esposito choked out, "just how old _are_ you exactly?"

"I hate to admit it," Liara replied, "but I am only one hundred and six. A century may seem like a long time to a short-lived species like yours, but amongst the asari, I am barely considered to be more than a child. This is why my research has not received the attention it deserves. Because of my youth, other asari scholars tend to dismiss my theories on the extinction of the Protheans."

"Did your research turn up anything we can use?" Beckett asked, getting her jealous reaction under control by force of will.

"What I found most interesting is what I did not turn up," Liara replied, turning to face Captain Beckett. "There is little archaeological evidence of the Protheans to begin with, even less that might explain why they disappeared. It was almost as if someone did not want the mystery to be solved and came along after they were gone to cleanse the galaxy of clues."

Liara paused for a moment for effect, like this was a litany she had repeated for grant proposals more than once.

"But according to my research, the most incredible part is that the Protheans were _not_ the first galactic civilization to mysteriously vanish this way, merely the most recent."

"Where did you come up with this theory?" Kate asked, her detective's instincts taking over, pressing for more like she would have in an interrogation room. "I thought there wasn't any evidence?"

"As I said before," Liara explained, "I have been researching the Prothean extinction for fifty years. I have tracked down every shred of evidence I could find at dig sites both in and out of Council space. Eventually, subtle patterns began to emerge in the available data that hinted at the truth. It is difficult to explain to someone else, I cannot point to one specific thing to prove my case. It is a theory derived from a half century of dedicated research, but I know I am on the right track and eventually I will be able to prove that not only were there _other_ civilizations before the Protheans, but that they all met the same fate the Protheans did."

"If the Protheans weren't the first," Castle asked, clearly fascinated by Liara's theory, oblivious to how it was effecting Kate, "then who was?"

"I do not know," Liara replied with difficulty, clearly frustrated with how little she had actually learned considering she'd been at it for fifty years. "There is barely any evidence of the Protheans, even less of those who came before them. Not enough to conclusively prove my theory at any rate, but I know I am on to something."

Liara paused for a moment to look over at Captain Beckett, who rolled her eyes, but nodded for her to continue.

"The galaxy is built upon a cycle of extinction. Each time a great race rises up, it is suddenly and violently cast down, leaving little but ruins behind. The Protheans rose from a single world until their empire spanned the entire galaxy, yet even they rose to the heights they did on the remains of those who came before. Their greatest achievements – the mass relays and the Citadel – are based upon the technology of those who came before them. Then, like all of the forgotten civilizations who preceded them, the Protheans disappeared and I have made it my life's work to find out how and why."

"I know what happened to them," Castle blurted out before Kate could stop him, worried he would be scoffed at or ridiculed, like the council had done. "They were wiped out by a race of sentient machines they called the Reapers."

"The... Reapers?" Liara asked, slightly gobsmacked, her curiosity piqued. "But I have never heard of... How do you know…? What evidence do you have?"

Kate gripped the armrests of her seat, her nails digging into the padding. She'd wanted to avoid this entirely.

"There was a damaged beacon where I was stationed on Eden Prime," Castle began, his voice dull as he tried to explain the visions he still couldn't understand that plagued his dreams and waking hours equally. "It... burned a... vision into my brain. I'm still trying to make sense of... of what it means."

The last thing that Kate expected to see was... _understanding_ cross Liara's features, as if the beautiful young asari comprehended the thing that was hurting Castle in a way that she couldn't. Which inexplicably made her both cautiously optimistic that Dr. T'Soni would be able to help Castle and even more jealous at the same time.

" _Visions?"_ Liara asked rhetorically. "Yes... that makes sense. The beacons were designed to transmit information directly into the mind of the user. Finding one that is still functional is incredibly rare. It's little wonder why the geth attacked Eden Prime in that case. The chance to acquire a working beacon - even a badly damaged one – would be worth almost any risk.

"Unfortunately, the beacons were designed to interact with Prothean physiology," Liara explained, casting a sympathetic gaze at Castle, "whatever information you received would have to have been confused, unclear. I am amazed you were able to make any sense of it at all. A lesser mind would have been utterly destroyed by the process. You must be incredibly strong willed, Chief Castle."

"Okay," Kate stated sharply, her jealous bone back in full force as she imposed order back onto the proceedings, "this isn't helping us find Saren, or the Conduit."

"Of course," Liara replied, trying hard to figure out where she was going wrong. She had never interacted with humans before and was unaware of the traps she was falling into. "You are right, Captain. I am sorry. My scientific curiosity got the better of me. Unfortunately I do not have any concrete information at the moment that could help you find Saren, or this _'conduit'_ you speak of."

"Captain," Castle interjected, "I don't know what Saren wanted from Dr. T'Soni or why he wanted her out of the picture, but I think it would be a good idea to bring her along."

"Agreed," Kate replied grudgingly, "Dr. T'Soni certainly knows more about the Protheans than any of us do."

"Thank you, Captain," Liara replied, "Saren might come after me again and I cannot think of anywhere safer than here on your ship. My knowledge of the Protheans could prove more useful to you later on."

"Not to mention her biotics will come in handy when the fighting starts," Wrex added. He'd been so quiet – for him anyway – that Kate had thought he'd fallen asleep.

"Welcome aboard the Normandy, Dr. T'Soni," Kate stated, "I will have XO Pressly find you some quarters."

"Thank you, Captain, I am very grateful..." Liara began as she rose from her seat, apparently too fast as she wobbled on her feet and nearly fell back into her chair, "woah... I... am.. afraid I am feeling a bit light-headed."

Liara managed to stay on her feet, primarily because Castle caught her before she could fall over.

"When was the last time you ate?" he asked. "Or slept? Dr. Parish should take a look at you."

"It is probably just exhaustion," Liara replied, managing to find her balance again, "coupled with the shock of discovering the Prothean's true fate. I need some time to rest and process all of this."

At Kate's raised eyebrow, Liara nodded. "Still, it could not hurt to be... examined by a medical professional. It will give me a chance to think things through. Are we finished, Captain?"

"Of course, Dr. T'Soni," Kate replied, "go see Dr. Parish."

"Mission reports are filed, Captain," XO Pressly reported over the intercom. "Shall I patch you through to the council?"

Kate mulled it over for a few minutes, weighing whether the news that they had secured Matriarch Benezia's daughter would outweigh the destruction of a rare, nearly intact Prothean site and made a decision.

"Negative, Mister Pressly," she replied, "I think it would be better to consult with them directly when we have something concrete to give them about our progress."

"Aye Aye, Captain," XO Pressly responded. "Setting course for the Hades Gamma Cluster to rendezvous with the Orizaba battle group. Eta, four hours."

"Send my compliments to Rear Admiral Shepard," Beckett stated crisply, "and transmit our requisition list for resupply, Mister Pressly. You have the deck."

* * *

 **Four hours later**

SSV Normandy dropped out of FTL within hailing distance of the Dreadnought Orizaba's battle group according to schedule, her IFF broadcasting over Alliance frequencies as they came within range of the battle group's interceptor screen.

"SSV Normandy this is Wild Card Lead," a woman's voice stated over the guard channel, "you are clear to approach on course two-three-niner to dock with SSV Saratoga for reloading and cargo transfer."

"Affirmative, Wild Card Lead," Captain Beckett replied. "Course two three niner acknowledged."

"Transferring you to Saratoga control, Normandy," Capt. Shane Vansen responded over the guard channel, "congratulations for scoring the first combat victory against the geth."

Ryan guided the Normandy through a textbook docking maneuver with the heavy cruiser SSV Saratoga. Captain Beckett, Chief Castle and XO Pressly met Commodore Ross, his wing commander Lt. Col. McQueen and Saratoga's Chief of the boat in the forward airlock for a small ceremony during which Chief Castle saluted and presented Commodore Ross with a broom to denote Normandy's "clean sweep" of the enemy during her first patrol. The three of them were then invited to take dinner at the Saratoga's officer's mess, which they accepted.

As Castle, Beckett and XO Pressly sat down to dinner, Chief Engineer Adams ordered Normandy's cargo bay depressurized and opened and a well choreographed dance began as engineering crews from both ships performed the laborious process of transferring dangerous munitions in space. Shortly after that process was completed, the fighter carrier, SSV Issac Asimov came alongside and a new Mako was transferred over to replace the one lost on Therum before Normandy's cargo door swung closed. After which the weapon control officers transferred the torpedoes to the magazine and the deck gang pored over the new Mako.

After taking on HE3 to refill her fuel tanks, a space-suited engineer came alongside Normandy's hull and painted a geth cruiser silhouette to the side of her hull just below the window of the flying bridge.

* * *

Whilst she was acting chief of the boat during Chief Castle's absence, Gunnery Chief Hastings began her inspection tour of the ship, paying special attention to the areas where the "non-regulation" crew members frequented.

Though she was aware of Captain Beckett's standing orders that their non-human crew-members were to be shown every courtesy, she couldn't just deny her suspicions out of hand. Her grandfather had served in the First Contact War under Admiral Kastanie Drescher during the reclamation of Shanxi and had personally led the detail that brought General Richard Rodgers who'd surrendered the Shanxi garrison -the only human commander to surrender to an alien race- back to Earth in chains. He'd never had a good thing to say about turians in particular or Aliens in general - regardless of species - in her lifetime.

Though her feelings about aliens were a _lot_ less severe than her father and grandfather's, she couldn't deny her suspicions. She would not act on them without express orders from the captain, of course, but she couldn't deny them either. As a Marine, it wasn't in her nature to simply ignore her instincts, and they told her something was wrong in Denmark.

She'd looked into the Turian, Garrus Vakarian, first, but he kept to the areas he was assigned, behaved appropriately and his record in C-Sec spoke for itself. Besides, from what she'd been told, the Turians had co-developed the Normandy - her Turian design elements were hard to miss- so they had no need to place a spy aboard.

As far as she could tell, the asari, Dr. T'Soni rarely strayed far from the meager quarters assigned her near the mess hall and she was too socially awkward -especially for an Asari- to be a spy. She seemed too busy trying to chat up Chief Castle about the Prothean data crammed in his skull to notice that half the male crew and a few of the women were completely besotted with her.

The Krogan, Urdnot Wrex - aside from the potential for blood rage that surely posed a security risk- was barely able to pass from one compartment to another without every eye turning to him. He'd be the worst spy ever, not that Krogan were known for the subtlety required for espionage. From what she'd read of the Rachni Wars they were uplifted for one thing and one thing only, their propensity for violence. It had taken the Genophage bio-weapon after the Krogan Rebellions to severely curtail their ability to breed and bring their numbers under control. If Wrex didn't seem to thoroughly enjoy scaring the living bejesus out of half the crew, she'd almost feel sorry for them.

That left the quarian, Tali'Zorah, who was far too enthusiastic about Normandy's technology and spent nearly all of her spare time down in engineering. That her people had created the geth did not win her much in the way of sympathy points either. That one she would make a point of keeping an eye on.

"So, what do you think of the quarian?' Hastings asked Adams over lunch in the mess, thankful that his shadow tended to pick up her turian food paste and go back to her bunk in the infirmary where Dr. Parish had set her up in one of the clean rooms as a temporary living space.

"You mean Tali?" Adams replied. "She's been spending most of her time down in engineering asking me about our engines and how the drive core works."

Hastings did her best to cover her mortification, Adams' admission seemed to confirm her worst fears. She knew most of the crap the Terra Firma threw around was xenophobic nonsense. They'd had good ideas when they were founded, but had long been overrun with jingoists and "species purists" that made her sick to her stomach. Ann Hastings might not hold much _trust_ for aliens, but she certainly meant them no ill will. Something she and her father had argued long and hard about at home when she announced that she had no interest in joining the party. Granddad thought she was too soft and hadn't spoken to her since.

"I'll talk to the Captain," Hastings replied, "get her to tell Tali to leave you alone."

"What?" Adams spluttered. "No! That kid's amazing, I wish all of my guys were as smart as her. Give that child a month and she'll know our engines better than I do. Captain Beckett certainly has a real eye for talent. She's already suggested drive core settings that have increased engine efficiency by twenty percent. I'd offer her a _commission_ if I thought the brass would go for it."

"I assume you're taking all of the necessary security protocols?" Hastings asked before she could stop herself. Forgetting for barely a nanosecond that she was speaking to a superior officer. Adams didn't let that pass though.

"As you were, _Gunnery Chief,_ " Adams barked, watching the ramrod slide up her spine as she snapped to her feet at full attention. "I'll pretend you didn't just say that, but come at me like that again and I'll snap you back so hard you'll think you were back in boot. The _Captain_ assured me these people can be trusted, that's enough for me. Understood, Gunny?"

"Sir, yes sir," Hastings replied. She knew she'd have to be more circumspect about keeping an eye on the quarian for the time being. Until she was sure that Tali'Zorah didn't pose a threat to her ship, she would keep her suspicions to herself and simply be vigilant.

* * *

An hour later Captain Beckett, XO Pressly and Chief Castle returned from the Saratoga, the Normandy disengaged and departed the Orizaba Battle Group.

In her absence a data packet had arrived from the Council with their next clue to investigate in the search for Saren. On Captain Beckett's order, the Normandy set course for the Horsehead Nebula and the frozen world of Noveria.

* * *

 _ ****Author's Note** I felt the last chapter was long enough, so I gave this part it's own chapter. For the record, no Ann Hastings is not a racist, but her grandfather definitely was and his xenophobia has left Ann with an arc of personal growth ahead. One that I wish the Mass Effect Series had worked though more carefully story-wise with the Ashley Williams character.**_

 _ **Yes, I watched "Space: Above and Beyond" back in 1995, what wasn't to love? It lasted longer than Firefly, but not by much and had an even more unsatisfying ending, if that's possible. (WTF Fox network?)**_

 _ **History lesson: A "clean sweep" for a naval vessel refers to having "swept the enemy from the seas," or a completely successful mission. It is traditionally indicated by hanging a broom from a mast or lashing it to the periscope of a submarine. The United States Submarine Service during WWII generally considered a patrol a "clean sweep" if the sub sank every target she engaged.**_


	8. Geth On Ice Planet Noveria Pt 1

**Chapter Eight  
Geth On Ice Planet Noveria  
Part One**

* * *

" _Go tell that long tongue liar, go and tell that midnight rider  
Tell the rambler, the gambler, the back biter  
Tell 'em that God's gonna cut 'em down"  
_Johnny Cash: "God's Gonna Cut You Down"

* * *

SSV Normandy burst through the Pax system mass relay and set course for the system's second planet, a small frozen world named Noveria. As soon as they cleared the system's asteroid belt, Gunnery Chief Hastings' passive sensor console began beeping for attention.

"Captain," Hastings reported, "we have been painted by active LIDAR from traffic control stations orbiting the fourth planet."

"Acknowledged," Captain Beckett replied. "Maintain present course and speed, steady as she goes."

The Normandy continued its course into the system, passing the orbit of the fourth and then the third planets in the system until they matched the orbit of Noveria and began their steady approach to the small mostly blue-white planet.

"Noveria Approach Control, this is SSV Normandy," XO Pressly announced into the ship's comm, "requesting a vector and a berth."

"Threat detectors just went active, Captain!" Hastings reported as her console screamed, "Orbital GUARDIAN and torpedo batteries just locked on!"

"Normandy, your arrival is not on our schedule," the voice on the other end responded tersely, "Our defense grid is armed and tracking you. State your business."

"Citadel business," XO Pressly replied, "we have a council Spectre aboard."

The comm net was silent for several tense minutes before the Noveria defense grid's target locks went silent and two fighter interceptors rose to escort them in.

"Landing access granted, Normandy. Docking bay 94 pending confirmation identification of your Spectre's credentials. If confirmation cannot be established, your vessel will be impounded."

"What a fun bunch," Castle quipped sarcastically as he watched one of the fighters take up station off the Normandy's bow. "I think I'll bring Alexis here on my next leave."

"Take us in, Mr. Ryan," Kate ordered, "Mr. Pressly, the Alliance Navy does not recognize this planet's authority to impound the Normandy, so any attempt to breach the ship or its primary systems is to be treated as hostile. Chief Engineer Adams is to begin core discharge procedures to cover the implementation of active intrusion countermeasures. Set GUARDIAN defense grid on standby mode and maintain a full combat watch."

"Aye, Aye Captain," Pressly replied.

"Chief Castle, Suit up and inform Lt. Esposito, Garrus and Wrex that their presence is required at the main lock, bearing full arms. I'm going below to suit up and will meet you there in twenty minutes. Mr. Pressly you have the deck."

* * *

As Kate emerged from her quarters testing the arm and finger joints of her combat hard-suit, she was met by Liara T'Soni.

"Captain, if I have heard correctly there is the distinct possibility that my mother may be here?" Liara asked without preamble.

"That is possible, yes," Kate replied, "why do you ask?"

"My mother is a powerful biotic, and she may have brought a number of her followers with her, which we can assume to be elite asari commandos," Liara replied. "Though I do not discount the abilities of either Wrex or Chief Castle, I am unarguably the strongest biotic on this ship, trained by Benezia herself. If she is able to see reason, I may be able to head off a violent confrontation before it begins."

Kate weighed her options. Though she wasn't sure if she could trust Liara yet, the young asari had a point. Against a powerful opponent like an asari matriarch, she would need all of the biotics she could get.

"Permission granted," Kate replied, "have the ship's quartermaster issue you a combat hard-suit and report to the main airlock in fifteen minutes."

"Thank you, Captain," Liara replied, "I will not forget the trust you have placed in me."

"Remember that, when the shooting starts," Kate replied as Liara retreated below decks to the Quartermaster on the cargo deck.

* * *

When Kate emerged into the CIC and made her way to the main airlock, she contemplated her team. Turians were not known for their love of frigid environments nor were his intrusion skills quite a match for Tali, but Kate had serious misgivings about taking somebody so young into what could easily degenerate into a very messy combat situation. Though she was certain of where the young quarian's loyalties lay, she knew that among the Citadel races, her people had a bad reputation. People would only see the suit and care nothing for the person underneath it, an added complication she sought to avoid.

As Liara rushed behind her toward the lock in a nearly brand new light armor hardsuit, Kate noticed something was missing. She accessed the flying bridge arms locker and produced a standard issue Karpov Mk V, checked the action and selected a belt pouch containing spare heat sinks.

"Take this," Kate told her, indicating the hard-point at Liara's right hip.

"I do not like firearms," Liara stated, shaking her head. "I have worked at hundreds of dig sites across the known galaxy and never needed more than my biotics for self defense."

Kate pushed the pistol and thermal clips into Liara's hands more forcefully.

"I didn't _ask_ if you liked it, Dr. T'soni," Kate commanded, "I told you to _take_ it. Your mother might be willing to see reason with you along, but she also might not. Things could get hot and you may have to defend yourself."

"Understood, Captain," Liara replied, collapsing the pistol as if by second nature, clipped it to the hard-point on her hip and affixed the pouch of thermal clips to her belt.

With that, Kate nodded at Castle who popped the hatch and they proceeded into the airlock. The inner door cycled closed and the outer door popped out of the hull and slid up and open.

"Be ready for anything," Kate cautioned, "they were not exactly happy that an Alliance frigate has come calling."

* * *

As they approached the entry to the the spaceport proper, there were security guards waiting for them, hard-suits bearing the livery of Elanus Risk Control Services. At the apex of the trip stood an Asian woman, her face an unreadable mask, a collapsed pistol at her hip. By her air of authority, she was clearly in charge. She was flanked by a Nordic looking human woman cradling a shotgun behind one shoulder, at the other a turian armed with a rifle. Immediately above and behind them were two assault drones, their weapons extended, clearly tracking them.

"That's far enough," the Asian woman said tersely.

"I'm a Spectre on important business for the Citadel Council," Kate affirmed.

"This is an unscheduled arrival," the inscrutable woman replied, giving away nothing. "I will need to see credentials."

"You first," Kate challenged.

"We're the law here," the blond woman interjected acerbically, her voice like ground glass, "show some respect."

Their leader raised a hand and the blond woman backed down.

"I'm Captain Maeko Matsuo," she offered, "Elanus Risk Control Services."

"Captain Kate Beckett," Kate replied, "Citadel Council Special Tactics and Recon."

"Load of horse crap, ma'am," the blond woman interjected again.

"We will need to confirm that," Captain Matsuo replied more diplomatically. "Also, I must advise you that firearms are not permitted on Noveria. Sergeant Stirling, secure their weapons."

As sergeant Stirling stepped forward, Castle, Esposito, Garrus and Wrex all drew their rifles, stopping the woman in her tracks.

"Citadel authority supersedes yours," Garrus challenged.

"I cannot allow that," Kate interjected, her pistol drawn, but held at her side. "Nobody takes my weapons."

Stirling fell back and ordered, "Charge and lock!"

"We are authorized to use lethal force, Captain," Matsuo stated without drawing a weapon. You have until the count of three to surrender your weapons or we will open fire."

Kate's pistol tracked upward until it was aimed directly at Captain Matsuo's head, but the woman did not flinch. She could hear the low hum as Normandy's GUARDIAN defense grid came online and began tracking the drones.

"One," Captain Matsuo said, fully aware that "three" might be the last word she ever said with Kate's pistol aimed directly between her eyes.

"Two," Castle, Wrex and Liara charged biotics and began erecting barriers.

"Thr..." Matsuo never got to finish the word when she was interrupted by the intercom.

"Captain Matsuo, stand down!" a woman's voice exclaimed. "Captain Beckett's credentials have been confirmed. Spectres _are_ authorized to carry weapons here."

Captain Matsuo waved her officers to back off, the drones retracted their weapons and returned to their stations. Kate raised a hand and the others relaxed, putting away their weapons as she put her own pistol away. At a signal from Castle's omni-tool, the Normandy's defense grid returned to standby mode.

"You may proceed, Spectre," Captain Matsuo stated. "I hope the rest of your visit will be less confrontational. Ms. Parasini will meet you upstairs."

"Behave yourselves," Sgt. Stirling admonished grumpily. Kate had a very bad feeling that she might very soon become a problem should their stay be a lengthy one.

The doors to the spaceport and the group walked in as if the confrontation had never took place. They walked up the stairs to what was apparently the intake desk for the spaceport. But before they could get within ten paces, an alarm sounded and their hands twitched toward their weapons.

"They're just weapon detectors!" said the woman in a formal dress at the desk, waving them forward.

"I'm Gianna Parasini," she continued, "executive assistant to Bel Anoleis, Administrator of this spaceport. We apologize for the incident in the docking bay. We only just received confirmation from the Citadel of your Spectre status."

"Somebody piss in your security chief's coffee today?" Esposito snapped, earning him a glare from Kate.

"Captain Matsuo takes her job very seriously," Parasini replied, as if Esposito had asked about the weather. "She is a valued asset to the company."

As they approached the desk warily, Parasini smiled sweetly.

"One of my duties is the orientation of new arrivals," she said. "Are there any questions you have for me?"

"This is pretty heavy security for such a small spaceport," Kate observed.

"The Noveria Development Corporation Executive Board does everything in its power to protect the safety and privacy of our client corporations," Parasini replied, parroting what was likely their sales pitch to potential investors. "Out here on the frontier, with neither Council nor Alliance support we have to be very proactive when it comes to security."

"I can't afford to have my investigation hampered," Kate replied, sounding more like a cop than she had in years.

"Tread lightly," Parasini whispered, leaning in close to avoid the security cameras. "The Board could bury you in litigation so deep you'd need an asari lawyer to see your great grandchildren to the end of it."

"Has anyone unusual passed through recently?" Kate asked, pretending to ignore the last statement.

"Unusual?" Parasini replied. "An asari Matriarch passed through a couple of days ago. Lady Benezia."

"Benezia?" Liara whispered, suddenly seeming like a lost little girl. "My mother is actually here?"

"Matriarch Benezia is a threat to galactic peace," Kate stated coldly. "I have a warrant from the Citadel Council to bring her into custody in connection to the criminal activity of former Spectre Saren Arterius. Dead or alive."

"The Board doesn't like having outside problems dumped in their lap, Captain Beckett," Parasini replied, her tone suddenly serious. "Regardless, Benezia departed for the Peak 15 complex days ago. To the best of my knowledge, she's still there."

"That's fine with me," Kate replied. "Give me directions to Peak 15 and the loan of a vehicle and we will be on our way."

"I'm afraid I can't authorize that, Captain," Parasini stated. "You'll need to speak to Administrator Anoleis for clearance to leave Port Hanshan."

"Where do I find him?" Kate asked.

"His office is on the main mezzanine," Parasini replied, waving toward the corridor leading to the elevator. "Take the elevator up two levels and turn left when you get off. His office is right down the stairs in front of the fountain. If you need my help with anything, my desk is out front."

"She is here," Liara breathed, "I cannot believe it."

"I understand that you and your mother are estranged," Kate began, "but she's still your mother. If Benezia doesn't come quietly the use of force might be required and I need to be certain which side you're on."

"Captain," Liara replied after a brief pause, "I know what my mother is doing with Saren is wrong and that she has to answer for her crimes. If you feel it would be best for me to return to the Normandy I will go. But, if I come along I might be able to convince my mother to surrender peacefully."

"I don't know if that's likely or not," Kate replied, "but you are welcome to try."

"Thank you, Captain, your trust means a great deal to me."

" _The Noveria Development Corporation LLC welcomes you to Port Hanshan,"_ The Port Hanshan VI droned as they entered the elevator. _"The galaxy's most respected site for independent scientific research and development. For your own safety and the privacy of others you are required to follow any directions given you by our security personnel. If you have any questions or concerns our friendly and courteous administrative staff is always available. Thank you and enjoy your stay."_

Kate could feel the eyes of everyone in the port on them. She was sure they were flagged by every security camera feed as well. The rumors about Noveria aside, it was clear to her that a great deal of the _"research"_ done here would likely be illegal in both council and Alliance space.

When they walked into the outer atrium of the Port's administrative offices it became clear to Kate that there must have been a shortcut or an express elevator for the staff, as Gianna Parasini was sitting primly behind her desk without any outward sign she'd had to hurry to get there ahead of them.

"Good afternoon, Captain," she said with professional good cheer. "A pleasure to see you and your associates again. How may I be of assistance?"

"I would like to speak with Administrator Anoleis," Kate stated coolly, she really hated being handled, it rankled her every time.

"One moment please," Parasini stated pleasantly, then hit the intercom on her desk. "Mr. Anoleis?"

"Yes, Miss Parasini," an annoyed sounding salarian replied on the other end. "What? What? What!"

"The Council Spectre here to see you," Parasini replied, barely blinking back the flicker of annoyance. "Captain Beckett."

"Right. Fine," Anoleis replied, "Send her in."

The door to Administrator Anoleis' office swung open and Parasini waved them through it, before it slid shut behind them.

"I am Rannadril Ghan Swa Fulsoom Karaten Narr Eadi Bel Anoleis, Administrator of this port," Anoleis stated, not even bothering to disguise his arrogance and contempt. "You will forgive me if I don't stand up. I have no time to entertain refugees from that urban blight called Earth."

Kate crossed her arms over her chest and glared at Anoleis, who wasn't receiving a warmer reception from Castle or Esposito.

"I see you had time to look up my service record though," she replied after counting to ten in first English and then Russian in her head.

"Only a fool enters negotiations without knowledge of the other party's tendencies," Anoleis replied. "This meeting is merely a courtesy. I will only cooperate with you as required by the Executive Board. Businesses come here to avoid the second-guessing of Galactic Law."

"And I represent the second-guessing of galactic law," Kate replied tersely. "I'm here on a matter great urgency."

"Isn't everything?" Anoleis shot back. "This world is private property. I will not allow you to harass our clients."

"Do you do business with Saren Arterius?" Kate asked, not liking where this was going.

"Saren?" Anoleis asked. "One of your Spectre compatriots? He's a major investor in Binary Helix Corporation, one of Noveria's principal backers."

"Is Binary Helix developing weapons for him?" Kate asked.

"It's possible, given his interests," Anoleis shrugged. "What our clients do in their labs is their own business."

"I've been informed that an asari matriarch is here," Kate added, "Lady Benezia."

"She arrived a few days ago," Anoleis replied, growing slightly more annoyed, "accompanied by a personal escort and some cargo. She has since departed for the Peak 15 facility."

"What can you tell me about her cargo?" Kate asked, picking up on his annoyance and pressed him on it.

"The containers were large, heavy and _sealed,_ " Anoleis replied, shutting her down. "They passed weapons screening, beyond that their contents are not our concern."

"And her _"personal escort"_?" Kate asked, getting a little annoyed herself, but hiding it better than the clearly easily annoyed salarian.

"The phrase is self explanatory," Anoleis stated, as if she was an errant schoolgirl in the principal's office. "Bodyguards attending to the security of her person and cargo. Asari commandos specifically."

"Asari Commandos?" Garrus interjected incredulously. "You didn't think that odd?"

"They followed our regulations and turned over their weapons," Anoleis responded, granting Garrus a slightly higher modicum of respect than Beckett. "I had no reason to forbid Lady Benezia from taking them with her."

"I will need to speak to her," Kate stated, "immediately."

"I'm afraid that you cannot," Anoleis stated coldly. "Peak 15 is a private research facility in the Skadi Mountains. Regardless, there is a blizzard in the area. All shuttles have been grounded and surface access is cut off."

"Surface access access you say?" Castle chirped, receiving an elbow to the ribs from Esposito for his trouble.

" _Cut off_ , I said," Anoleis reiterated, turning his attention back to Beckett. "The roads are not suitable for travel, Captain. Don't make an issue of this."

"Forget him, Beckett," Esposito whispered in her ear. "If this chuckle-head won't help us, I'm sure somebody else will." To which he received an elbow to the ribs, from Kate herself.

"What brought Benezia out here anyway?" she asked.

"If I knew that, I would not be at liberty to say," Anoleis replied. "She came here as Agent Saren's executor on business for Binary Helix. There were issues at Peak 15 that required her attention."

His desk beeped insistently. Anoleis looked down at it then back at Kate.

"Just so you know, every minute of my time that you waste costs the company twelve credits. I am keeping a running tally."

"I think we're done here." Kate stated. She knew when a line of inquiry was going nowhere. She could legally shoot the salarian, not to mention every security guard between Anoleis' office and Peak 15, but most of them were just doing their jobs who didn't really deserve a bullet in the head. Not to mention she would rather not have to listen to Sparatus lecture her about it when she made her next report.

"Good," Anoleis replied, sounding almost glad to be rid of her, "I received a dozen urgent messages while you dithered about."

As the group of them filed out of the office, they were met by Gianna Parasini, who gripped Beckett's arm, and leaned in close.

"Mr. Anoleis isn't the only one who can get you a pass to leave Port Hanshan," she whispered then stepped back to cover herself. "You've never worked in the corporate sector before have you?" she stated. "You can't bludgeon through bureaucracy."

"I can bludgeon pretty hard," Kate replied, playing along.

"Talk to Lorek Qu'in," Parasini whispered again, "he should be in the hotel bar. I can't say any more within earshot of Mr. Anoleis."

"I've taken up enough of your time, Miss Parasini," Kate replied, "Thank you for suggesting the hotel bar, my crew and I could use a good cup of coffee."

"Yeah," Castle added, "the coffee on board the Normandy keeps you awake, but it tastes like a monkey peed in battery acid."

"Not at all, Captain, this is my job after all," Parasini stated, "I will tell the waiter to comp you each for your first drink."

* * *

When they arrived at the hotel bar, they were able to identify Lorek Qu'in easily enough, simply by locating the only turian whom everyone else in the place - with the notable exception of the wait staff - avoided like he'd contracted a contagious disease. He seemed almost desperate for company as they drew near and waved them over.

"Good afternoon!" the older turian stated pleasantly, clearly having been given the silent treatment for a while. "Please, sit down, have a drink. What can I do for you?"

"Lorik Qu'in?" Kate asked. "I've been told that we might be able to help each other."

"You are the Spectre that arrived recently, are you not?" Qu'in asked, cryptically. "What could an old turian like me possibly be able to help you with?"

"I have people to see and places to go outside of this port," Kate replied.

"You need a garage pass, then?" Qu'in asked rhetorically. "How fortuitous. I'm the manager for the local Synthetic Insights office... for the moment at least anyway. Mr. Anoleis has closed my office to _"investigate"_ reports of my corruption. Bel Anoleis is an interesting character who has become quite wealthy since he took control of rents."

"I sense a connection there," Castle interjected.

"Indeed," Qu'in replied. "I have acquired evidence that Anoleis has been embezzling from the Noveria Corporation. His hired thugs are ransacking my office as we speak to find it. Clearly your goal lies outside of this port, but Anoleis would be disinclined to allow you to wander so I will make a deal with you. If you recover the evidence I have collected I will give you not only a garage pass but the use of a vehicle suited to the current weather conditions."

"Why didn't Anoleis cancel your garage clearance?" Garrus asked.

"Why should he?" Qu'in replied. "There is nothing outside but ice, snow and hungry nathak."

"You have a plan, I take it?" Kate asked.

"I do," Qu'in replied, "but there is a... what is that charming human saying... 'fly in the, uh... lotion'? Anoleis is paying members of Port Hanshan's security force under the table to search my offices. Captain Matsuo is unaware of their outside employment. Violence against them may be necessary."

"If he's paying them under the table, they're mercenaries," Kate replied, her fingers brushing her pistol absently, "I have no problem with killing mercenaries."

"Excellent," Qu'in stated, handing over a data card and an OSD. "Here is my personal key-card to the Synthetic Insights office. It will activate the elevator and grant you full access to all offices. The evidence is on my personal terminal. The OSD contains an encryption key to access and download it. The program will auto-execute as soon as you slide it into the port."

Kate rose from her seat at the table, flanked by the others.

"Oh and do try to keep bloodstains off the carpets, would you?" he said to their retreating backs. "I just had them redone."

* * *

Beckett and her squad left the hotel bar and headed for the elevator bank not far from the entrance to the garage. As soon as they came within range of the sensors, the doors opened.

" _Welcome back to Synthetic Insights, Mr. Qu'in,"_ the elevator VI stated cheerfully and immediately transported them to the appropriate floor as the squad readied their weapons. _"Please note that the possession of firearms is strictly prohibited on Noveria."_ When they approached the office door, they could see a pair of security guards on station.

"Freeze!" one of them commanded. "Port Hanshan Security! This office is sealed!"

"What will you do if we don't?" Kate challenged, relishing the sight as one of them visibly gulped. They were clearly used to being the only ones on the planet who carried arms. If there was one thing she hated above anything else it was dirty cops, so she had no sympathy to spare for either of them.

"You're the Spectre, right?" the other one piped up. "Lorek Qu'in is under investigation."

"Bullshit," Esposito challenged, "Anoleis is paying you under the table to shake Qu'in down."

"That makes you criminals," Kate added, "I can kill criminals."

"Why don't we just kill them?" Wrex rumbled, cradling his shotgun like it was his firstborn. "We have bigger varren to roast."

The two guards looked at each other, both realizing how untenable their situation truly was before the spokesman of the two spoke up.

"He ain't paying me enough to take on Spectres, Alliance troops, not to mention krogan," She looked at her partner who nodded emphatically. "How about this? You pretend you didn't see us, and we'll pretend we didn't see you?"

With that, the two guards, walked briskly past them to the elevator and disappeared.

Inside the office two more guards were posted, their backs turned to them. At a nod from Beckett, Castle charged biotics, lifted them from the deck and bashed them into the ceiling, snapping their necks.

"Show off," Wrex rumbled.

* * *

The small group slipped upstairs into the executive office level and Liara slipped the OSD into the terminal in Qu'in's office which immediately woke the terminal and began the task of parsing the data which had been cleverly hidden in multiple databases which without the OSD's decryption key would have seemed like garbage data in the system.

When they returned, they found more of the dirty cops waiting for them in the atrium blocking the from the stairwell, led by the very Sgt. Stirling who had barred their path earlier.

"I don't think you're supposed to be here," Stirling said sarcastically.

"Do you plan to make us leave?" Kate replied, "because we're already on our way out."

"Leave?" Stirling scoffed. "You think I'm gonna let you walk out of here? Uh-uh. Anoleis would throw you off-world for what you did here, but I won't. You know what we did to cop-killers on my world?"

"You and your _'officers'_ are dirty, Stirling," Kate spat back at them, her anger rising. "You're here off-duty breaking the law for bribe money."

"Do you know what we do to dirty cops on _my_ world?" Wrex grumbled menacingly. "Bring it on."

Without further preamble, Wrex opened fire. The discharge of the krogan-made shotgun was so powerful it overloaded Stirling's barriers, yet still hit her with enough force to nearly snap her in half. Castle, Esposito and Garrus fanned out and attacked the rest – who were clearly stunned that the woman for whom they'd felt equal parts awe and fear - was dropped without so much as firing a shot. The resulting running gunfight with the errant rent-a-cops across both levels of the Synthetic Insights office didn't last long. Unfortunately for Lorek Qu'in, when the echoes of gunfire died down, there were in fact _numerous_ blood stains on the carpets. Kate couldn't find it within herself to care, she didn't have time to worry about his delicate sensibilities.

* * *

When they emerged from the elevator back in the common area, they were met by Gianna Parasini.

"There have been reports of noise coming from the Synthetic Insights office," she stated as if she were responding to a complaint of loud music.

"Must be Anoleis' hired thugs ransacking the place," Castle quipped, "maybe you should call the police." He put his fingers out and Garrus 'fed the birds.' The two seemed to have become fast friends.

"Smart ass, huh?" Parasini responded, "I can work with that. Meet me in the hotel bar for a drink... before you talk to Qu'in. I'll be waiting."

When they arrived back at the bar, Kate nodded for Esposito, Liara and Wrex to mingle while she and Castle sidled over to the secluded booth Parasini had reserved away from prying eyes, particularly those of Lorek Qu'in, who was still drowning his sorrows at his private table. When they sat down the woman leaned in closer to them.

"Allow me to re-introduce myself," she stated with a New York accent which was much more _'bridge and tunnel'_ than Kate's. "Special Agent Gianna Parasini, Noveria Internal Affairs."

"What's an internal affairs agent doing here?" Castle hissed, "I thought ERCS was the law in these parts."

"The Executive Board knows about Anoleis, but to break his ironclad contract, they need proof, so they sent me here undercover six months ago. I need you to convince Qu'in to testify before the board. Between that and the evidence from his computers, they can deal with Anoleis and Noveria can operate profitably again."

"Couldn't you get into Anoleis files?" Castle asked, "salarians are generally pathological about their record keeping."

"Anoleis is a crook, not a moron!" Parasini exclaimed. "He wouldn't keep logs on his computer saying _'this month I stole three million credits!'_ He was careful... too careful. With that ironclad contract I told you about, I need irrefutable proof of his criminal activity, or he could tie up the board in costly litigation for years!"

Parasini took a moment to breathe and calm herself when she noticed people's heads were turning, then continued more quietly, "Lorek Qu'in's testimony and records are everything I need to prove Anoleis' guilt in one neat package."

"Why not ask him directly?" Kate asked. "Why go through me?"

"I'm Anoleis' secretary," she pointed out sarcastically, "you think he'd believe me? That he would meet me in some dark alley with his evidence? What do you think this is, some second rate mystery novel?"

"I thought corruption was the rule on Noveria?" Castle asked, trying to hide his hurt feelings at her unknowing dig against his off-duty profession as a mystery novelist. Thus far, nobody in the Alliance military had caught on to his literary alter-ego, but it still stung. "That your employers came all the way out here to avoid the prying eyes of Galactic law?"

"The rule on Noveria is _'don't rock the boat'_ Mr. Castle," she replied. "Self-interest is _tolerated_ as long as it doesn't interfere with business. We aren't the only Corporation with a site like this, - Exo Geni for example - we're simply the most well known. Anoleis is driving paying clients into the arms of our competitors."

"I need Qu'in's garage pass to complete my mission here," Kate pointed out, "you knew that when you sent me to speak to him."

"You help me nail Anoleis and I'll get you your garage pass, a ground vehicle, anything you want. Call it professional courtesy."

"She has a point," Castle pointed out, "it couldn't hurt to sow a little goodwill in case we ever have to come back here."

"Look Spectre," Parasini said with a sigh, "I don't like this either. Spectres are trouble, which can be bad for business."

"Speaking of Spectres," Kate added, "do you know what's going on up at Peak 15?"

"Before the blizzard rolled in, central control received a Code Omega signal from there." Parasini explained, "which means that the facility had a terminal breach of safety protocols. Nobody leaves there until we receive an _'all clear'_ signal."

"And if an _'all clear'_ isn't sent?" Castle asked, not sure if he was going to like the answer.

"The Executive Board votes whether to completely destroy the facility. An antimatter warhead from one of the orbital battle-stations should vaporize any loose contaminants, the glaciers will take care of the rest."

"That doesn't tell me much," Kate replied.

"That's all there is, Beckett," Parasini replied acerbically. "Nobody knows what the hell is going on up there."

"What about Matriarch Benezia?" Kate asked. "Any idea what brought here here?"

"It has something to do with what's going on up there, I'm sure of it," Parasini noted, "She arrived with two squads of asari commandos shortly after we received the Code Omega Signal. They took the last shuttle for Peak 15 before the blizzard hit with a load of large, heavy crates."

"Any idea what was in them?" Kate asked.

"None. Once they were scanned, the commandos wouldn't let anyone near them. They were big and very heavy heavy though. They barely fit on the cargo train."

"All right, Parasini," Kate replied, "I was a cop once, so I can relate. I'll convince Qu'in to testify."

Lorek Qu'in was happy to see them for about five minutes, until Kate told him about the interest of Noveria Internal Affairs. He'd wanted to handle this quietly and use the information he'd collected to wring concessions from Anoleis. He certainly didn't want to attract the attention of the Executive Board. When it was clear that Captain Beckett wasn't going to back down and her assurance that Synthetic Insights wasn't the only corporation being extorted by Anoleis, and that the Executive Board wanted to be rid of him too, he relented and agreed to testify.

* * *

Agent Parasini was much more happy to hear it when they returned to Anoleis' office. She handed Beckett a brand new transit pass through the garage and a voucher for an ERCS Mako for their trip before walking confidently into the salarian's office to slap the cuffs on and drag him unceremoniously through the atrium.

"This is an outrage!" Anoleis shrieked as Parasini dragged him away, "I'll see to it you never work in this sector again!"

"Yeah, yeah," Parasini grumbled as she perp-walked him past Beckett and the others. "let's get a move on."

"You!" He shrieked again, "Beckett! I demand that you place this double crossing bitch under arrest!"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Anoleis," Kate stated smugly, "but I can only cooperate with you as required by the Citadel Council, I have no jurisdiction here as I recall."

"You have the right to remain silent, asshole," Parasini snarked, "so shut the hell up."

She turned to Beckett before walking out the door. "See you 'round the galaxy, Beckett, I owe you a beer!"

* * *

Kate watched Parasini drag Anoleis out the door almost longingly. It had been a long time since she'd held a job that gave her that level of satisfaction. The sense that she was making a difference in the lives of ordinary people. She used to take murderers off New York City's streets, but now her job was almost as much about political shades of gray than direct action. She missed the symmetry of a murder investigation, tracking down clues, interrogating suspects, slapping the cuffs on and putting the guilty in cages where they belonged, even though she'd never been able to find that same justice for her mother.

The hunt for Saren was the closest she was likely going to get to that, so hunt him she would, along with anyone else who would help him. By attacking a human colony and killing one of her Marines, he had woke the huntress and filled her with a terrible resolve. Saren _would_ be brought to justice, alive or dead.

"Okay guys, saddle up," Beckett commanded, "let's get out to the garage while this pass is valid. We still have Matriarch Benezia to round up."

* * *

 _ ****Author's Note** To my Castle followers who also follow Mass Effect, I had considered doing Noveria all in one shot, but getting out of Port Hanshan and Peak 15 seemed like two different chapters to me. Perfect symmetry for one of my favorite episodes of the original Battlestar Galactica: "Gun on Ice Planet Zero" which was also a two parter, so it kinda felt right.**_


	9. Geth On Ice Planet Noveria Pt 2

**Chapter Nine  
Geth On Ice Planet Noveria  
Part Two**

* * *

" _Same old song, just a drop of water in an endless sea  
All we do crumbles to the ground, though we refuse to see..."  
_Kansas: "Dust In The Wind"

* * *

Kate, led her squad and their civilian consultant, Dr. T'Soni to the guarded door of Port Hanshan's garage where she swiped the garage pass Gianna Parasini provided through the reader next to the door and breathed a quiet sigh of relief when it slid open.

" _Welcome to the Port Hanshan transit garage, Captain Beckett," t_ he port's male-sounding AI stated as if discussing the weather, _"the first stop on your tour of the galaxy's most respected site for independent scientific research and development. An ERCS variant of the M35 Mako has been cleared for your use. It is waiting at the exit portal for Peak 15."_

After a brief pause, the AI spoke up again.

" _Warning: severe weather and environmental hazard alert in effect for the Aleutsk Valley. Shuttles have been grounded and ground traffic is not recommended. If travel is unavoidable, please remain inside the vehicle until you reach your destination."_

Nobody saw the geth infiltration unit concealed behind one of the ceiling mounted cargo loader assemblies in active camouflage mode as it watched the door, noting the presence of both the asari and the human female it had been ordered to watch for. There were no other geth platforms in close proximity so its processing strength was limited, but it didn't need any higher cognitive functions to perform the task for which it had been assigned. It transmitted its video data feed to the nearest prime and awaited further instructions.

Kate and her squad followed the lighted walkway of the tour leading them to their vehicle when the outer doors slid open and fifteen geth mobile platforms stormed in firing forming a wedge in front of an eight foot tall geth prime. Castle and Garrus dove one way to find cover, shoving Liara down with them, Esposito and Beckett dove the other while Wrex roared, drew his shotgun and charged, at the prime, firing as he went. One geth was blown to scrap almost immediately, another was spun around – losing an arm in the process.

Castle and Beckett popped up on opposite sides of the garage, and opened up with their rifles, drawing the geth's fire to clear a path to the prime for Wrex, who tore into the geth mobile network hub, tearing it to pieces with his biotics with a relish that few who were not krogan could understand.

The presence of the geth infiltrator that had sounded the alarm had thus far gone unnoticed on the far side of the garage complex as it withdrew an M-98 Widow anti-materiel sniper rifle and sighted in on Kate - lining up for a head-shot. When asked later, Castle would not be able to recall what drew his eye to the exact spot the infiltrator had been located in the split second its active camouflage field wavered. But in the span of a heartbeat, his biotic field lit up, barriers hardened and he exploded forward, slamming into the geth back into the far wall with the full force of his biotic charge.

Castle hammered the geth with the butt stock of his M-7 Lancer again and again, well after the light in the center of its head went dark. He only stopped to look up at Kate when she stepped close enough to divert his attention from the permanently disabled platform.

Kate and Rick stared into each other's eyes for several seconds, all other thoughts flown away but each other, only a hand's breadth from touching... when into the tableau came the clatter of a squad of ERCS guards, led by Captain Maeko Matsuo .

"What the hell?" she shouted, shattering the spell between Castle and Beckett - who jumped apart as if burned - as she waved for her squad to move into the garage. "What are those things? Fan out and secure the area, nobody goes in or out... _MOVE!_ "

When Captain Matsuo reached Kate, she had recovered her composure and her walls were once again firmly in place.

"What the hell happened in here, Spectre?" Matsuo demanded. It was the first time since they had met the woman that she appeared to have lost her cool.

"We were ambushed by the geth and fought back, Captain," Kate stated harshly, "preventing them from running loose in your port"

"Geth? You expect me to believe..." Matsuo choked out, clearly not wanting to believe it. "Where did they come from?"

"The asari bitch came with a load of cargo crates," Wrex rumbled, drawing an angry glare from Liara T'Soni, "They were probably packed in those."

"But... but..." Matsuo spluttered, "we did thorough scans of each and every one of those gorram crates before they were loaded on the cargo train. There were no power sources, no element zero masses..."

"If all of her cases were packed with geth," Castle pointed out, "there are more of them out there. A lot more."

"The geth are on the move in the Attican Traverse and Terminus systems," Kate stated.

"For three centuries," Captain Matsuo replied, finally able to wrap her brain around the idea that they'd been attacked by geth, "everyone has said 'the geth do not come out of the veil' what the hell is going on? I have to report his to the Executive Board. If word gets out about loose geth running around there may be an investor panic."

"I'll have my XO transmit what we know about the geth so far," Kate offered, "so you can prepare a proper defense. We need to get out to Peak 15, that's likely where they're most concentrated."

"All right, Captain Beckett," Matsuo stated, "good luck."

"Saddle up, people, let's move like we've got a purpose," Kate ordered as she cast a longing look back at Castle after he turned his back, still shocked that he had interjected himself between her and a sniper without a second thought. She couldn't wrap her brain around how a father with a young daughter waiting for him at home could do that. Those thoughts, however soon gave way to the more practical short-term concerns of making the trip to Peak 15 and dealing with whatever perversion of science Saren had commissioned up there and whatever useful intel she could wring from Benezia if Liara could do as she insisted she'd be able to and get her mother to come in quietly.

The group climbed into the Mako and set out with Kate at the controls. She carefully wound the troop transport through the snow-choked passes of the Aleutsk valley before the terrain gradually gave way to the steeper inclines of the Skadi mountains. It was rough going and some of the barely passable roads truly tested the Mako's climbing ability and traction assisted tires. The vehicle had clearly been well adapted and properly maintained for optimal functioning in Noveria's frigid environment.

Though they did run into a few pockets of geth resistance, it was clear that they had neither been designed, nor adapted for Noveria's environment - the bitter cold and winter storm equally deleterious to the geth mobile platforms and turrets they encountered as it would have been to synthetics - and suffered from breakdowns. The only significant resistance they faced took place at the few covered bridges over the most impassable of crevasses. Though those had not suffered nearly as much from the cold, the lack of processing strength due to their low numbers was an an equal disadvantage and thus they too were swept from their path relatively easily.

* * *

By the time they reached Peak 15, they were all glad to be up and on their feet while Garrus hacked the door to grant them access (which he did far too easily for Castle's liking). It wasn't that he was any less glad to be able to stretch his legs after hours in the passenger seat, but the very senses that had kept him alive on Eden Prime were warning him that this was some sort of trap.

Moments later, a mixed force of geth and krogan jumped them just inside Peak 15's main garage facility. Their numbers were relatively low, but they made up for their shortcomings with firepower and superior position. Wrex felt almost personally insulted that so many of his kind would follow Saren - or any turian, for that matter - so blindly. An insult which he redressed by unleashing savage, bloodthirsty violence upon them with his weapons, biotics, his bare hands and on one notable kill the bony ridge of his skull-plate.

Liara was more refined in her approach, laying down a warp pulse to force geth back and laying down a singularity in just the right spot to catch them all up in a neatly crushed package. Everyone else just kept shooting until there were no more targets. Afterward the garage area was eerily silent, but for the creaking of the superstructure from the wind outside.

They took a few minutes to breathe while Garrus and Castle got the outer doors working, brought the Mako inside to protect it from the elements and set its VI for automatic defense mode. Shortly afterward, they stacked up at the door, with Liara at the rear and made their way deeper into the facility,

Along the way, they noted powered down drones in the corridor, their extended weapons clearly pointed deeper into the facility instead of the direction of the garage as they'd anticipated.

"Why are the defense drones pointed the wrong way?" Liara asked, her curiosity piqued.

"Sounds like they want to keep what's inside, in as much as they want to keep unauthorized personnel out." Castle replied quietly, slightly freaked out that there was so little resistance after clearing the garage.

When they reached what had once been the outer atrium for greeting new arrivals it was finally revealed why. Dead geth and partially dismembered krogan littered the area and snow piled near shattered windows. Whatever had transpired there had been quick and struck with nearly overwhelming force... then just as quickly, vanished. The scene put all of them on alert, even the battle-hungry Wrex seemed subdued as they pushed on toward the central computer annex. If they wanted answers, they would need to get the facility's mainframe back online.

Once Castle and Garrus had reset the breakers on the mainframe's power supply and reinserted the system's core memory chips, the system began to power back up and a feminine avatar resolved in front of them.

" _Welcome to Peak 15,"_ the VI interface said, _"this virtual intelligence unit is programmed to respond to the name 'Mira'. Please state your name and authorization."_

"Captain Kate Beckett," Kate stated briskly, "Citadel Council Special Tactics and Reconnaissance division."

" _One moment, please... processing,"_ Mira replied, _"Spectre authority confirmed. Under Noveria emergency guidelines, you are entitled to secure access of all primary systems. I am ready to process queries at this time. You may access me at any holographic interface panel within Peak 15. Please note that any queries about proprietary information requires_ Privileged Access _, which is granted only to Executive level Binary Helix Employees."_

"I need to find Matriarch Benezia." Kate stated.

" _Lady Benezia departed on the passenger tram to Rift Station's subsidiary laboratories four standard days ago,"_ Mira replied. _"User alert: The passenger tram system is currently offline."_

"Give me a full damage report," Kate stated.

" _One moment, please,"_ Mira replied, _"diagnostics in progress._ Critical failure: _Main reactor shutdown in accordance with emergency containment procedures. Manual restart required._ Critical failure: _Landline connections to Rift Station disabled. Passenger tram system offline. Damage report complete. Do you have an additional system status query?"_

"Why was the main reactor shut down?" Kate asked.

" _Unknown,"_ Mira replied, _"my mainframe was offline when those events occurred. Shutdown could occur if a main reactor breach was imminent, or in the case of catastrophic laboratory containment failure. Emergency guidelines suggest that Noveria's frigid environment would neutralize any biologic contagions and theoretically cause critical damage to synthetic ones."_

"Turn off the heat and hope the freezing cold puts whatever they've unleashed to sleep," Garrus stated. "Makes sense, look at what happened to the geth outside. Killing them was almost an act of mercy"

Castle and Beckett nodded in agreement, before she returned to interrogating Mira.

"Why were you taken off-line?" Kate asked.

" _In the event that Peak 15 must be sterilized for security purposes, my program logs and archives would be disabled and purged of all proprietary data."_

"What do the landlines control and why are they disabled?" she asked.

" _The landlines connect my mainframe here at Central Station to the various sub-facilities of the Peak 15 research complex as well as communication to Port Hanshan. When emergency protocols were engaged in the hot labs, the cable interfaces were automatically ejected."_

"What happened here?" Kate asked.

" _I'm sorry,"_ Mira replied, _"I need a more specific inquiry."_

"Give me the series of events prior to you being shut down." Kate stated.

" _Accessing,"_ Mira replied. " _Stage one alert issued from hot lab pod gamma. Emergency protocols implemented. Stage two alert issued at hot lab complex: isolation tube breached. Passenger tram system shut down. Landline to hot labs disconnected. Stage three alert issued locally. Loose contaminants in tram tunnels. Station shutdown and evacuation initiated._ Code Omega _alert signal sent prior to main landline communications being severed."_

"What sort of contaminants escaped?" Kate asked.

" _I'm sorry, Captain, any queries about proprietary information relating to research projects requires_ Privileged Access _, which is granted only to Executive level Binary Helix Employees."_

"That will be all then, Mira," Kate stated.

" _Very well, Captain Beckett,"_ Mira replied before her hologram faded away, _"logging you out."_

* * *

Slowly but surely the group began re-initializing Peak 15's systems, occasionally hearing the skittering of small chitinous legs scritching along inside the walls and ceiling panels. Periodically ceiling panels would give way and they would be attacked by small spider-like creatures they were certain would be deadly if allowed up close. Thankfully most of them were easily swept aside using either biotic fields or short bursts from assault rifles.

Each time they requested Mira identify the creatures that attacked then they were met with the same answer: a concise apology and an admonition that they lacked _"Privileged Access"_ to that information. It became almost infuriating, causing to Wrex to kick over one of Mira's holographic interface panels.

Eventually they were able to restore the landlines connecting Central Station to Rift Station and to restart the scrammed main reactor to provide power to the tram system. At that point, Mira informed them that the last, but most critical step to regaining full control of the facility would require them to take the tram to Rift Station and initialize the VI's direct access there.

There was token resistance from what Wrex identified as Rachni, mostly the drone or the larval stage of the so-called _"contaminants"_ both of which were weak against biotics, though rifle fire seemed to be equally effective - both of which Wrex took particular pleasure in dispensing. He'd never actually seen one himself before, but his grandfather had been a war leader during the height of the Rachni Invasion. Grandfather's stories had been the stuff of both his and Wreave's childhoods and the urge to kill them called to his blood.

* * *

When the tram reached Rift Station, the waiting area was a mess. Bodies were strewn, mostly where there they were slain, many torn to pieces. Clearly all of the Rachni drones they'd fought had escaped through here and used the tram tunnels to get to Peak 15. If any had made it outside, the frigid weather had likely pushed them back into the facility where the trailing elements of Benezia's geth and krogan had put them down hard in order to survive.

Mira guided them to the elevator to the hot labs control area where they found a single dead woman sitting on the floor, propped up against the wall, dead sightless eyes staring at nothing, right leg clearly broken and hanging at an odd angle. A pistol at her feet and the back of her head blown out. A recording on her omni-tool flickered to life when they drew near.

" … _name is Dr. Elena Sarkov. One of our scouting parties had found a Rachni ship in deep space and brought back an egg which turned out to be a Queen. After she laid her first clutch of eggs, we isolated her from them. After they hatched, we realized too late that we'd made a mistake."_

 _"Separating them from their mother drove them insane. Now they're loose, Mira's been shut down and they're killing everyone. I tried to get to the secondary control room to set off the neutron purge, but one of them got me. I think I killed it, but my leg is broken, omni-tool says I'm bleeding internally and I'm fading fast. If anyone finds me, set off the neutron purge, it's the only way to be sure. The code is in my pocket. I'm so sorry, please dear god forgive me..."_

"Idiot," Wrex grumbled. "Millions of my people died a thousand years ago to stamp these bastards out for a reason."

"Up that way" Castle pointed to a room marked 'Emergency Control Room: Secure Access and Above Only' After closing the dead woman's eyes and prying a plastic card out of her jacket pocket, "we should be able to activate the purge from there."

The door slid open as soon as Beckett stepped within range, revealing a small, utilitarian control room with a smaller version of one of Mira's holographic interfaces panels built into it.

"Mira, this is Captain Beckett, logging in."

"Connecting," Mira stated almost cheerfully. "Full access to Peak 15 research facility's systems restored. Please state the nature of your query."

"Activate the neutron purge system," Kate replied.

"Activation of the neutron purge system requires an authorization code from a level one supervisor," Mira replied. "Please enter the correct code authorization."

"Mira," Castle cut in, reading from the card he'd found, "authorization code: eight seven five dash zero two zero dash zero seven nine, code Omega, local execution."

"Authorization code sequence accepted," Mira replied as a timer appeared on the screen. "Code omega execution countdown engaged. You have two minutes to reach minimum safe distance."

"Back to the elevator!" Beckett shouted. "Double time! Move it!"

They ran. The elevator was barely three floors up when they heard the cracking sound of the neutron purge discharging it's deadly radiation into the hot labs and tram tunnel. Castle leaned in close to Garrus so he wouldn't be overheard.

"How good do you think the shielding is in this elevator?"

Garrus shrugged as they returned to the main level, where they crossed through the main laboratory where the floor was littered with bodies of scientists, ERCS guards and rachni drones. The neutron purge had killed them and the rachni with equal effectiveness leaving a sickening tableau of instant death. Both Castle and Garrus thought they were going to be sick and Liara dropped to her knees next to a broken desk and emptied the contents of her stomach into a wastepaper basket.

Beckett wasted no time getting her people herded through the area. She would never forget she had authorized the action that ended with their deaths. She was sure she'd be having nightmares about the charnal house they'd walked through for years to come, but the mission had to come first. Otherwise she had signed their death warrants for nothing which would make her no better than Saren.

* * *

As the door to the central staging area, the primary fallback position for the staff should the neutron purge system need to be set off, Kate was angered to find it nearly empty. Only one person stood to greet them at the door, Matriarch Benezia.

"You do not know the privilege of being a mother," Benezia said coldly, indicating the massive bulk of the Rachni queen trapped in the isolation chamber. "There is power in creation, to shape a life and turn it toward happiness or despair. Her children were to be ours, raised to hunt and slay Saren's enemies."

Benezia, paused a moment, then turned to face them, turning a jaundiced eye toward Liara as if her daughter meant nothing. "I won't be moved by sympathy, human, no matter whom you bring into this confrontation."

"Dr. T'Soni is here of her own accord," Kate replied.

"Indeed," Benezia replied tersely, turning her unflinching glare back toward her daughter. "What have you told them about me, Liara?"

"What could I say, mother?" Liara choked back. "That you have gone insane? Should I have told her how to kill you? What could I ever possibly say to explain the evil you are doing?"

Benezia didn't bother to answer her daughter and once again turned to face Kate as two doors on either side of the room opened and a squad of armed asari huntresses - supported by geth troopers - emerged to flank them

"Have you ever faced an asari commando unit before?" she asked dangerously. "Few humans have."

Before the asari and geth could get into position, Kate signaled her team to fan out to meet them.

"So, I'm guessing there's no peaceful way to resolve this," Kate stated before ducking for cover.

"Indeed."

* * *

The battle was quick and by any standard, dirty. Wrex and Castle split off to either fork of the walkway and attacked. Castle's former Navy Seal and USMC drill instructors from Alliance boot camp would have been proud. Though the enemy put up a withering fire, the asari seemed to lack focus and cohesion, which was not at all what he'd been taught to expect of commandos from Thessia. They fought hard, to be sure – nearly suicidally in fact - but their effectiveness seemed to have been watered down. The battle was over relatively quickly, with only Benezia left standing. Wrex had pressed her hard, barely able to refrain from killing her in his blood raged state.

"This is not over," Benezia ranted, "Saren is unstoppable. My mind is filled with his light, everything is clear."

"I expected better from Asari commandos," Castle and Beckett shot back in unison.

Benezia seemed distracted, like she was at war with herself, eyes fixed on nothing,

"I will not... betray him... you will... you..." Benezia sputtered, then a softness washed over her, like a different personality had fought to regain control and had - for the moment - won.

"You must listen," she whispered, "Saren still whispers in my mind. I can fight his compulsions... briefly, but the indoctrination is strong."

"Why were you only able to break free of his control now?" Kate asked, her blood still up from the fight, wary this was a stalling tactic.

"When I first realized what was happening to me," Benezia explained, "I … sealed away a portion of my mind from the indoctrination. Saved it for the right moment, when I might be able to help stop him. The fight weakened my body enough that I was able to reassert control. I will not last long."

"Are you saying he brainwashed you?" Castle scoffed.

"People are not themselves around Saren. They come to idolize him, worship him, do anything for him. One after another I watched my acolytes fall under his sway before I realized the truth. The key is Sovereign, his flagship. A dreadnought of incredible size and immense power."

"We saw it on Eden Prime," Kate replied. "Where did it come from?"

"All I know for sure is that the geth did _not_ build it." Benezia replied, "It's technology is far more advanced than that of any known species. It was subtle at first, but the longer I remained aboard, the more Saren's will seemed... correct. I thought I was strong enough to resist, but, instead I became a willing pawn, eager to serve him. He sent me here to find the location of the Mu Relay, long thought lost."

"I assume you found its current coordinates?" Kate asked.

"Yes," Benezia replied. "Two thousand years ago, the rachni discovered it. Rachni share memories across generations, queens inherit the memories of their mothers. I took the location of the Mu Relay from her mind. I was not gentle."

"Why does Saren want this Mu Relay, anyway?" Wrex rumbled, his patience wearing thin.

"He believes it will lead him to the conduit," Benezia replied, "I would tell you more if I could, but Saren did not share his counsel with me."

"Give me the information," Kate stated, "you can still make this right."

"Everything I was able to obtain is on this OSD," Benezia replied her face awash with shame as she handed it over, "I was not... myself, but... I should have been stronger."

"Knowing the relay's coordinates is not enough," Kate replied. "Do you know where he planned to go from there?"

"Saren didn't tell me his destination, but you must find it quickly. I transmitted the coordinates to him shortly before you arrived."

Benezia looked at Liara sadly, knowing how difficult what she was about to ask would be.

"You will have to stop... me... I can't..." Benezia rambled.

"Mother!" Liara cried out, her eyes welling with tears. "Mother please, I... do not go... fight him!"

"I'm... sorry, Little Wing," Benezia replied softly, struggling to keep her mind focused, but losing, "Saren's teeth are at my ear... fingers clawing at my spine... you should... uh... you should... _**DIE!**_ "

Nobody was prepared for the sudden burst of biotic power that flashed from Benezia as the indoctrination reasserted itself and she enveloped everyone but Liara in a stasis field, lifting them from the ground, a move Liara knew would precipitate the opening of a biotic singularity to crush then all.

Four evenly spaced pistol shots rang out, echoing in the now silent complex.

The first dropped Benezia's barriers, the second spun her completely around and the final two struck her high in the chest, slamming her into the glass of the observation window. Her purple tinged blood left a trail as she slid to the floor.

Liara stood, holding the pistol in both hands, eyes glazed over, tears streaming down her face at what she'd done, before the pistol clattered to the ground.

"Captain Beckett," Benezia muttered, crumpled and bleeding where she fell, "I... cannot go on. You will have to... stop... him."

"Hold on!" Kate exclaimed, not willing to let what happened to her befall Liara if she could help it. "We have medi-gel, we can..."

"No," Benezia replied as her vision began to gray out. "He is still... in my mind... I am not myself... I... never will be again... better to die... free."

"Mother," Liara moaned as she fell to her knees, her voice too choked with pain and regret to say more.

"Good night, Little Wing... I will... see you again...with the... dawn."

Liara sobbed quietly as her mother slumped down farther and began to lose consciousness.

"No light..." Benezia muttered incoherently. "They always said there would be a..." and then finally crumpled to the floor, her death rattle marking the last instant of her thousand-year lifespan.

Kate knelt beside Benezia and closed her eyes then watched helplessly as Liara crumbled, sobbing uncontrollably into Castle's broad shoulder, much like she had done into her father's the day they'd identified her mother's body. Kate's heart broke for Liara T'Soni, who had been forced to kill her own mother to save them all, another crime Saren would be made to answer for.

A beeping console drew her attention to the massive rachni queen in the isolation pod, her multi-jawed mouth pressed to the glass. She seemed almost peaceful, placid in the midst of all the noise and haste around her transparent cell. Nobody saw the dying asari commando rise stiffly from where she'd fallen nearby and dragged herself toward the observation deck like a zombie from an old movie until she'd collided with Kate's shoulder.

Kate yelped and jumped away, drawing her pistol as Castle rose sharply, shotgun in hand, pushing Liara behind him. The dying asari backed away from Kate until her shoulders were pressed against the reinforced frame of the observation window and began to speak.

" _This one serves... as our...voice,"_ she said, though the words felt like they were whispering in all of their heads as well as spoken from the mouth of the dying asari. _"We cannot... sing. Not in these... low spaces. Your musics are... colorless."_

"Musics?" Kate spluttered. "What?"

" _Your way of communicating is strange to us,"_ the queen explained, through her asari instrument. _"It does not fill the air. When we speak... one voice moves all."_

"This is gonna be a fun conversation," Wrex rumbled.

" _We are the... mother,"_ the queen explained, seeming to gain confidence in her link to the asari. _"We... sing for those left behind. The children you thought silenced. We are... Rachni."_

"How are you speaking through her?" Castle and Beckett asked in unison.

" _Our kind speak through... touchings of thought,"_ the Queen explained. _"We pluck the strings and the other... understands, she is weak to urging. She has colors we have no names for, but she is ending. Her music is... bittersweet. It is beautiful."_

The queen paused for a moment, as if considering what she was going to say next.

" _You are not in... harmony with those who sought to control us. What will you sing? Will you release us or are we to be silenced once more?"_

"There are acid tanks rigged to her pod as a fail safe," Wrex rumbled. "Set. Them. Off. Millions of my ancestors died putting these things down the last time. Don't let them come back!"

"I think Wrex is right, Beckett," Espo agreed, "these things proved they were dangerous a thousand years ago."

" _Your companions speak the truth,"_ the Queen replied, _"you have the power to free us, or return us to the silence of memory."_

"If I were to let you live," Beckett replied, "would you attack other species again?"

" _We do not know what happened during the war,"_ the queen explained through the asari. _"We only heard... discordance. Songs the color of oily shadows. If released we would seek a hidden place to teach our children harmony. If understanding could be reached, perhaps we would one day return to offer peace."_

"Do you mean you could have calmed the others if I hadn't set off the purge?" Kate choked out, shocked.

" _No,"_ The queen replied, _"Our minds are not as yours, without a mother to teach them to sing, those children were lost to silence. Do not sing of them in gray and violet. We would have stilled them ourselves."_

"Are you a survivor of the war?" Liara asked, still choking back her own grief. "A clone?"

" _We do not know, we were only an egg, hearing Mother cry in our dreams,"_ the Queen replied mournfully. _"A tone from space hushed one voice after another until it forced all of the singers to resonate with its own sour yellow note. We awoke in... this place, the last echo of those who came out from the Singing Planet. The sky is silent."_

"I won't commit genocide," Kate replied, clearly moved. "I can't. You'll go free."

"Are you stupid?" Wrex boomed. "Your people didn't fight these things, so maybe you don't get it! They're dangerous!"

"I do get it, which is why they will make a very formidable ally," Kate countered.

"Do what you want," Wrex rumbled. "If my people are still around we will simply have to clean this mess up like we did last time for the salarians who stumbled upon them!"

" _You will give us a chance to compose anew?"_ the Queen asked. _"We will remember... and sing of your forgiveness to our children."_

"Great, giant bugs will be writing songs about you," Wrex grumbled grumpily. "Mark my words, you'll regret this."

Kate nodded and Rick turned to the control board, lowering the isolation pod to the bottom level leading out to the emergency vehicle garage and programmed one of the escape trucks to take her to the more temperate region at Noveria's equator. As the queen drew away, the asari dropped dead to the floor.

"Okay, lets get the hell out of here," Kate ordered, "I've had just about enough of Noveria's hospitality."

She turned to face her crew as Rick took out an emergency blanket, covered Benezia with it and guided Liara toward the door back to the tram tunnel, taking another exit to avoid the central complex and its dead. Though Kate knew she would be making a full report to the council about what was done here, Binary Helix made this mess, they would be the ones to clean it up.

* * *

Upon returning to the Normandy, and ordering their departure from Noveria and back toward Council Space, Kate decided to forgo the meeting with her crew, Liara had enough on her mind without having to put on a brave face for their benefit, so she offered her the only consolation she could, time.

Allow her time to mourn the mother she had known and loved, not the twisted creature Benezia had become.

Her own report however, could not be so easily set aside.

"Mr. Pressly, transmit the Noveria report and patch me through to the council," she said, taking a seat in the comm room with a cup of coffee that Castle had presented to her from his own private stash. How he'd known she liked a hint of sugar free vanilla in her latte, she would never know, but it was most welcome.

"Aye Aye, Captain," Presssly responded as Kate took a seat and the holographic representations of the Citadel council coalesced in front of her.

"Is this report accurate, Captain?" Asari Councilor Tevos asked. "You found _rachni_ on Noveria?"

"...and then released the queen?" Sparatus cut in,angrily, "Do you have any idea what you've done? How many generations until they overrun the galaxy?"

"I personally spoke to the queen," Beckett replied. "She gave me her assurance that she would teach her children to live with us in peace in exchange for letting her go."

"I hope your faith in her is not misplaced, Captain," Sparatus spat at her. "Our children's children will pay the price if you're wrong."

"We'll take care to monitor the situation and await your next report," Councilor Tevos stated before closing the channel. "If we find any relevant data about Saren's next movements, we will forward them to you immediately. Good day, Captain."

* * *

 ** _**Author's note** I bet none of you thought that the queen of the creepy, Alien inspired, crawling nasties would end up siding with the good guys, huh? I have never been able to make the choice to kill the rachni queen and commit genocide in the game and I doubt that Kate Beckett would be able to do so either. It just isn't in her DNA. This chapter went a bit darker than I'd originally intended, but this will lead to Liara's darker tendencies in acts 2 and 3._**


	10. Bring Down The Sky

**Chapter Ten  
Bring Down The Sky**

* * *

" _Everything I am and everything in me  
Wants to be the one you wanted me to be  
I'll never let you down, even if I could  
I'd give up everything, if only for your good"  
_3 Doors Down: "When I'm Gone"

* * *

Castle sat at a work bench in the ship's armory, his M-7 lancer disassembled on the table in front of him. The rifle's mass effect field generator, ammunition density selection microprocessor and targeting-assist calculator were fully operational, but the ceramic-composite spine running the length of the collapsible butt-stock was cracked from pounding on the geth infiltrator with it in Port Hanshan's garage. One more solid blow and he would have cracked the ME-field receiver housing, thus rendering the weapon into a high tech metal, plastic and ceramic polymer paperweight.

There weren't a lot of M-7 Lancer spare parts available, at least not aboard the Normandy. The M-8 Avenger butt-stock was a close match, only the connection linkage between it and the receiver housing was different, which necessitated using his omni-tool to manufacture a custom part to bridge the differing interfaces. With that completed, he carefully cleaned all the parts, reassembled his weapon and moved to the target range that ran half the length of the bay where he loaded it with a fresh ammo block, inserted a thermal clip and squeezed off a five round burst. Satisfied with his handiwork, he safed the rifle and snapped it into his weapons locker to charge its batteries and run software updates.

With his work complete, but his thoughts rambling, he headed for the mess.

He'd seen the geth's flashlight head go out, the tell-tale clue that it had flash-fried it's memory core and gone offline, but didn't know why he'd kept pounding on the mobile platform hard enough to cause that much structural damage to his weapon. He was a trained biotic and a disciplined Marine - not someone prone to losing it like that - but in that split second when Kate was in mortal peril, he'd just... _reacted_.

Something about himself and Beckett just... clicked... they worked together seamlessly in combat and finished each others sentences in other circumstances like they shared a brain. In any other life he was sure they could have something real together, but at least for now, they had to live in this one. The regs were clear about fraternization between officers and enlisted personnel, so he'd done his best to keep his feelings for Kate – no, _Captain Beckett_ \- in check.

Her Spectre status might shield her from the regs, and they might not but that wasn't a chance he was willing to take without knowing she was in this as well. He had a fallback position – his successful writing alter ego - if the shit hit the fan, but she didn't.

* * *

When he entered the mess hall on deck two, Normandy's VI informed him of a vid-mail packet from Alexis - the first from her since the desperate, frightened one shortly after the Eden Prime attack had hit the extra-net. He'd warned his daughter to stay away from Westerlund News, Khalisah Bint Sinan al-Jilani was a bit of a reactionary who tended to provoke anti-alien sentiment in her broadcasts.

He wasn't sure if Ms al-Jilani actually believed the rhetoric she was saying or was simply pandering to her human-centric audience, but either way he didn't want Alexis exposed to that. As a human biotic – one of the first generation of them after the Singapore eezo accident the year he was born - he was aware of what bigotry felt like and he wanted better for his daughter.

Alexis' vid-mail was nearly done and he had no idea anyone else was in the mess... especially not the Captain, who had come down to get a cup of coffee after looking in on Liara, who was holding up better that expected.

 _"...oh, before I go,"_ Alexis gushed shortly after telling him all about how she'd created a singularity for the first time, _"my friends and I saw a vid about the Normandy. Ashley thinks Captain Beckett is pretty hot. Paige thinks you'd make a great couple! Later dad!"_

Castle heard something between laughing and gagging and turned to see Captain Beckett had just spit coffee though her nose. He bowed his head and prayed for the deck to open up and swallow him whole. After counting to ten, he opened his eyes again to see Beckett was still there, now over her coughing fit.

"Let's pretend that never happened," Castle asked, the blush burning his cheeks a bright pink, "shall we?"

"Ashley, huh?" Kate asked, her eyes alight with mischief.

"Don't remind me," Castle groaned. "My daughter Alexis' first serious boyfriend. I remember when I was the only man in her life."

"Be thankful," Kate replied, "you have no idea what I put my dad through during my wild child phase."

"I think I need to go... over there... uh... sir, " Castle replied as he rose and saluted, "to...uh... check on Tali... uhm...Chief Engineer Adams thinks something might be off with her... with your permission?"

"Dismissed, Chief," Kate offered with an amused gleam in her eye as she let him off the hook.

* * *

Castle _hadn't_ been lying... much... Adams did think something was off with Tali, but he didn't want to do anything official unless it got out of hand. She seemed less animated than she had been when she'd first come aboard, and Adams had enlisted his help because he had a daughter about Tali's age.

When he reached engineering, he saw Tali at the station Adams assigned her to and mused that some body language cues definitely seemed to transcend species. Her shoulders were slumped and she was far more quiet than she had been when she'd first come aboard. Something was clearly bothering her.

"Hey Tali," he offered, "how's it going?"

"Oh," Tali replied, her voice subdued and depressed, "hello, Chief Castle."

"You sound pretty down," Castle replied, "are you okay?"

"I don't know," Tali replied dully, "Your ship is amazing and Chief Engineer Adams has been really good to me, but some of the others... well... I just feel... out of place."

"Has anyone been bothering you?" Castle asked, concerned. He knew that Gunny Hastings wasn't wild about aliens in general and Pressly wasn't much better about it, simply more diplomatic but he didn't get down to engineering much and Adams wouldn't have come to him if it was one of his engineers bugging her. His engineering crew had the perfect blend of admiration and fear. If he said Tali was part of the team, then that was it. "If somebody's mistreating you, I can get them to stop."

"No," Tali replied. "It's all right, nothing I'm not used to and nowhere near as bad as it was on the Citadel. It's just... the Normandy runs so smoothly... like we're hardly moving and the engines are so... quiet. How do you sleep at night?"

"The silence wakes you up?" Castle asked, confused.

"Back on the Rayya," Tali explained, "the last thing you wanted to hear was silence. It could mean an engine's died or an air filter had shut down. I guess you don't have to worry about that on a ship this new, but old habits die hard. It isn't just the silence, though. This ship is so... empty, like half of the crew is missing. I couldn't wait to go on my pilgrimage to get away from the crowded corridors and lack of privacy, but now that I've been away for so long... I kind of miss them."

"Sometimes we don't appreciate what we have until it's gone." Castle offered, "I couldn't wait to get away from my mother when I was old enough and I have a daughter not much younger than you. I miss her and my mother every day and talk or send vid-mails as often as I can."

"I'm starting to wonder if that's part of what the pilgrimage is really about," Tali explained. "I've gained a whole new perspective on my people and our culture. There's always a few who go on their pilgrimage and never return. I'd always assumed something bad happened to them, but maybe they just found something better for themselves."

"You are going to go home again, though...right?" Castle asked.

"I could never abandon my people, Castle, but I want to see this through first. Saren must be stopped, or I might not have a home to return to."

"Okay, Tali," Castle replied, "I'll let you get back to your duties. Try to get some sleep later okay? If anybody gives you trouble let myself or Adams know. Harassment is _not_ okay."

* * *

On his way back up to his bunk, the alert klaxon went off.

" _General quarters, general quarters all hands man your battle-stations Threat Condition One is now in effect, Captain Beckett and Chief Castle report to CIC."_

"Report, Mr. Pressly," Captain Beckett commanded as soon as she entered the CIC.

"We received a distress call from the Asgard system in the Exodus cluster, Captain," Pressly reported.

"Only one system over from Eden Prime," Kate replied, "I can see why it was routed to us."

"If this is Saren," Castle noted, "he's certainly got big brass ones hitting here so soon after attacking Eden Prime."

"We aren't close enough to a mass relay to get there in time," Chief Hastings reported.

"Mr. Pressly, begin jump prep," Kate ordered, "bring the FTL drive on-line and spool up the navigational computer to make calculations for a jump to the Asgard System."

"Aye, aye, Captain," Pressly replied, then turned to Chief Hastings. "Start the clock, stand ready for jump."

"All hands this is the captain speaking," Kate stated into the ship-wide comm, "secure all stations for immediate FTL jump."

Normandy's variable geometry wings retracted into the primary hull as the sub-light drive engines shut down and all protruding interfaces retracted making the ship's profile as narrow as possible. Inside the hull, all sections of the ship were secured for the FTL jump. All internal bulkheads were sealed, all crew members found seats to strap into. All non-critical systems were locked down.

Back in the CIC, the entire command crew was abuzz with activity as they strapped into their seats, including the captain.

"Coordinates set and locked, Captain," Pressly reported.

"Board is green," Castle stated, "Normandy is ready for FTL jump to the Exodus Star Cluster on your command."

"Execute jump," Kate ordered.

"FTL in 10... 9... 8... 7... 6..." Castle counted down.

* * *

Meanwhile down in engineering, Tali had strapped herself into a seat and shivered involuntarily as the Normandy's FTL drive powered up, making the engine room seem to visibly shrink as space folded in on itself.

"I always hate this part," she whispered to no-one in particular.

"... 5... 4... 3... 2... 1..." Castle counted down, "JUMP!"

* * *

SSV Normandy disappeared from normal space as if popped out of reality and seconds later burst into being again near the Asgard System.

"Report," Kate ordered, galvanizing Chief Hastings into action to reactivate her LIDAR console.

"We are now in the Exodus Cluster," Hastings reported. "On course for the Asgard System."

"Spin up the IES stealth system and go to silent running," Kate ordered, "set course for Terra Nova."

* * *

As the Normandy entered the Asgard system, they began to catch up with an artificially propelled asteroid hurtling into the system, dragging other, smaller fragments with it. Clearly, the emergency that incited the distress call.

"I have a LIDAR lock on the asteroid, Captain," Gunnery Chief Hastings reported, "the local charts list it as Asteroid X-57. The three fusion torches propelling it are all set at maximum burn. On its current trajectory and rate of acceleration X-57 will collide with the most densely populated region of Terra Nova in five hours."

"Options?" Kate asked.

"If we disable the torches within the next four hours," Castle replied from the science console, "Terra Nova's gravity well should snag it into a relatively stable, but correctable orbit."

"I have comm traffic from the asteroid, Captain," XO Pressly stated, "low band but not the same carrier as the distress call."

"Put it on speaker, Mr. Pressly," Kate ordered.

 _"Hello? Can anyone hear me?"_ a female voice said over the comm. _"They haven't found us yet, but I can't talk for long. If anyone is listening, shut down the fusion torches or we're all gonna die!"_

Kate debated for a moment whether she should respond or maintain radio silence, but the comm crackled again.

 _"God, I hope somebody's hearing this."_

"This is Captain Katherine Beckett of the Alliance Frigate SSV Normandy," Kate stated with authority, "responding to your distress call."

 _"Oh, thank God,"_ the woman replied. _"My name is Rose Freeman, part of the engineering team assigned to bring X-57 to Terra Nova. We were attacked yesterday by batarian extremists. My team and I have been in hiding since they arrived. I'm the one who sent the distress call."_

"Do you know why they're doing this, Ms Freeman?" Beckett asked.

 _"I don't know,"_ Rose replied, _"but if this station isn't slowed, millions of people on Terra Nova are going to die! If I find out anything..."_

She was cut off by a loud series of clattering noises and a muttered curse barely audible over the comm.

 _"...I've gotta go,"_ Rose muttered and the line went dead.

* * *

Ten Minutes later, Kate had selected the four teams she'd assembled to hit the fusion torch facilities and the main complex and began her briefing. She nodded and Castle brought up a holographic overlay of the asteroid, specifically the four facilities in question.

"These are the primary targets," Kate stated. "It is imperative that we shut down all three torches within the next three hours, preferably without damaging them, as they will be needed to stabilize X-57's orbit at the end of the operation. Each team will consist of a team lead, a tech expert to shut down the torch and a squad of Marines."

Captain Beckett nodded to Castle, who shifted the display.

"Chief Castle, Urdnot Wrex and I will hit the main facility to deal with whomever is in charge of this operation. We will wait on station in the Mako in case any of the teams call for assistance. If not, we will make our push to the main complex as soon as the last torch goes out."

Kate waited for a moment before continuing.

"Lt. Esposito, you will lead first squad, your tech expert will be Garrus Vakarian. Lt. Alenko, will lead second squad, with Dr. T'Soni backing him on tech. Gunnery Chief Hastings, you have third squad with Tali'Zorah on tech. Your orders are to get into the torch facilities by any means necessary, neutralize the Batarian terrorists and shut down the torches. You are weapons-free as soon as your boots hit dirt. If it comes your way and refuses to identify, kill it. There's no time to be subtle people, The citizens of Terra Nova are counting on us to get it done."

Castle made another shift and the focus changed to a high peak on the asteroid.

"This is the highest point on X-57," Kate stated. "The primary comm antenna is located there. It commands all three torch facilities and as such makes a perfect sniper nest. I'm assigning LT to take up station there as your eye in the sky."

"Captain Beckett," Flight Lt. Ryan stated, limping forward with his cane, "permission to join LT on the sniper's perch, sir."

"Mr Ryan, you can barely walk and we need you at the conn, Permission de..." Kate began, but Ryan cut her off.

"With all due respect, Captain," Ryan stated coolly, "The M-98a Black Widow anti-materiel rifle is best fired on a bipod from the prone or kneeling position. I had twenty five confirmed kills at Torfan and my long rifle range scores are on record as the best on this ship. Two snipers on high watch can cover more ground than one. Lieutenant jg Williams is more than proficient in the gravitational tractor maneuver XO Pressly will likely call for if the batarians prevent us from shutting down all the torches."

Beckett trained her eye on LT – the Normandy's official Scout/Sniper of record as well as her range safety officer – who nodded his acknowledgment of Ryan's scores and training.

Staff Sergeant Kevin Ryan had once been an instructor at the Alliance Scout/Sniper school on Arcturus Station prior to the shuttle accident that killed his wife, their two children and destroyed his right knee. After his immune system rejected the gene therapy to regenerate it, the only way for him to qualify for a space posting with a prosthetic had been to retrain as a frigate pilot.

He'd pursued flight training alongside people ten years his junior with the single minded focus and drive of a wounded soul hoping to outrun his own ghosts. Only Flight Lieutenant Jeff "Joker" Moreau – who went on to fly for John Shepard on SSV Pearl Harbor - had scored higher in technical proficiency. The two of them had been close friends ever since and every time the two of them ran into each other they'd share a few beers and reminisce about how the two _"cripples"_ everyone had assumed would wash out took the Alliance's best and brightest young pilot candidates to school.

"All right, Mr. Ryan," Beckett amended. "Permission granted, check out your gear and suit up. We are go mission everybody. Wheels up in twenty."

"Captain Beckett," Hastings called out, "permission to speak freely, sir?"

"Denied," Beckett stated flatly, knowing what her objection would be, "you have your orders, Gunnery Chief, suit up and move out!"

* * *

 **One hour later**

Kate sat at the controls of the Mako with the engine running at a position equidistant to all of the torches and waited for the reports to come in. She always hated being the one in charge of an operation. Of sending people out, knowing some of them might not be coming back. It was the hardest thing to get used to after N-7 training was completed. Having to be the one to make that call instead of being there to do the job herself.

She'd received the "objective complete" messages from First and Second squads, but not yet from Third squad. Until...

"Third squad...requesting assistance... they've mined the approach to the torch!" came Hastings voice followed by static.

Kate was just about to put the Mako into gear when the comms lit up again.

"Tali'Zorah to Command..." Tali shouted, her voice shaking, "Do not... I repeat do not approach our position, the area is salted with vehicle demolition mines. Hastings is down with a suit rupture, one Marine is dead and I sent the rest of the squad ahead to secure the beacon and and disable the minefield."

Followed again by silence and a burst of static.

* * *

 **Ten Minutes Earlier**

Tali knew that Hastings did not trust her. She would not flinch in her duty, would make sure she made it back to the Normandy per her orders, but that was as far as that went. Tali could respect that. It was a lot more consideration than she'd ever received on the citadel. At least the woman never stooped to calling her "suit rat," like the turian clerk who ran the Zakera Ward homeless shelter.

"Get a move on, Zorah!" Hastings shouted, "we're waiting on you!"

"Something doesn't feel right," Tali tried to tell her, "my suit scanners are going crazy."

Hastings was about to turn and tell her to shut up, when Lance Corporal Saunders took another step and hit a mine. He took nearly the entire brunt of it and was almost completely vaporized.

"Third squad, requesting assistance!" Hastings shouted into her mic just before a wave of dizziness hit her, "they've mined the approach to the torch!"

Hastings pitched over revealing a piece of shrapnel had cleanly bisected the regulator hose to her helmet and her suit was venting atmosphere.

"I think you're clear of the mines!" Tali shouted to the others, tossing Private Talabi an OSD, "use that to crack any security they have and take the torch! I've got the chief!"

Without a second thought for the fact she may be signing her own death warrant, Tali ejected the now useless regulator interface from Hastings helmet and connected the emergency hose from her own, linking their suit atmospheres. With that task completed, she brought her own helmet mic online.

"Tali'Zorah to Command..." Tali shouted, the infection already setting in like an allergic reaction, making her voice shaky, "Do not... I repeat, _**do not**_ approach Fusion Torch Three, the area is salted with anti vehicle mines. Hastings is down with a suit rupture, one Marine is dead and I sent the rest of the squad ahead to secure the torch and disable the minefield."

Tali looked up to see a batarian bearing down on them. His four eyes beneath his helmet bright with glee. Tali was not able to get to her shotgun without disconnecting from Hastings and she doubted she'd be able to see straight to fire it when the batarian's head promptly exploded.

"Team Three Lead this is Archangel Gabriel," Ryan stated over the comm from his mountain perch atop the antenna shed after a second batarian was center-punched with an explosive-tipped rifle round, "The Grim Reaper and I will guide you safely to the promised land. Leave the bad guys to us."

Ryan sighted in on another batarian from atop the shed and sent a third round downrange. Shooting in a zero atmosphere micro gravity environment allowed him to sight in a near direct line to fire into the valley as LT spotted targets for him for his third hit and second head-shot of the day. Protecting the wounded was a righteous fire mission if ever their was one.

Sniping required a different discipline and mindset than aggressively piloting a frigate – he had to eliminate all distractions, slow his breathing, lower his heart rate and exhale each time he squeezed the trigger - but he was surprised how quickly it all came back to him once he'd begun to engage enemy targets. He was so in the zone, he almost forgot about his prosthetic knee.

A few minutes later the third torch went out and the Mako was on the move.

* * *

 _"Are you there?"_ Rose Freeman whispered over the comm in Kate's helmet, _"You've got to hurry, you've really pissed them off. Their leader's got them setting charges, I think he's gonna blow the whole facility!"_

Kate was about to answer her with something reassuring when a loud, angry sounding voice boomed.

 _"Get away from there!"_

 _"Don't shoot!"_ Rose pleaded. _"Please! No!"_

After that, the comms whined, shrieked and then went dead. Kate punched the accelerator and the Mako lurched forward.

* * *

Back in the main complex, a pair of batarians held Rose Freeman and her brother Matt at gunpoint as the angry looking batarian who was clearly their leader stalked into the room. At a nod from him, one of the two holding them at gunpoint kicked the back of Matt's knees savagely, forcing him to kneel.

"Who's shutting down the torches?" The angry batarian leader demanded as he pointed his pistol at the back of Matt's head.

Rose looked at her brother, the truth at the tip of her tongue, ready to spill freely from her lips until Matt looked up at her, shook his head and mouthed _"Don't"_.

"I won't ask you again." the batarian leader stated coldly, selecting sledgehammer rounds with his thumb.

Rose did the only thing she could do - though it broke her heart, sending a tear streaming down her cheek - she turned her back and did what her bother wanted. Too many lives were hanging on the shoulders of a woman so young. The batarian leader pulled the trigger, twice. Matt's body jerked involuntarily then collapsed and went still

"Find this problem and deal with it." the leader commanded then stalked from the room. "Lock her up with the others!"

The Mako barreled into the arroyo holding the access hatch to the main complex of the asteroid retrieval operation. Castle, at the controls of the main gun, blasted away at the defense turrets the batarians had quickly set up. The heavy canon and chain gun made short work of the batarians' hastily cobbled together outer defenses. When active resistance ceased, the Mako drew up to the hatch and skidded to a stop.

"Move out!" Kate ordered, then into her comms, "all available ground units engage in rescue operations for team three and triage the wounded for medivac to the Normandy."

The reception area was eerily quiet when the doors slid open. Castle checked the atmosphere and nodded so they each touched a control on their omni-tools which retracted the breathing apparatus on their helmets.

"Be on the lookout," Kate said "All three teams reported that their numbers were small at all the torches, but we still don't know how many terrorists we're dealing with here at the main control complex. Wrex this would be a good time for your angry krogan act."

"Who says I'm acting?" Wrex rumbled in response before he charged biotics and drew his heavy shotgun.

* * *

Action commenced when they moved into the atrium of the complex. From the more elegant construction it was clear that this was to be a long term construction project after X-57 was in a stable orbit around Terra Nova. Elysium had done the same to construct the Grissom Academy, Castle mused, it was less expensive to move a whole asteroid than to put construction materials in orbit. It was clear that the colonists here were looking to do the same. Anything left over could then be sold at a tidy profit to cover the costs of construction. By the time it was done the place would make a lovely satellite and few would know it had ever been an asteroid.

The batarians opened fire as soon as they were through the door, but clearly these were not front line fighters. Even with two to one numerical superiority at each of the torch facilities they had clearly been no match for the aggressive tactics of trained Alliance Marines. Their attacks though spirited were disorganized and easily swept aside. Half their number were taken down in a single charge from the rampaging krogan, Wrex who tore into them with a relish that few could understand. He hadn't been kidding, he really did like to fight.

Castle and Beckett turned in the opposite direction and took the other side of the circular atrium. They leap-frogged from cover to cover in a slower, more methodical approach until they and Wrex met on the other side of the facility near the stairs leading to the main control center.

"You humans," The batarian leader announced coldly from the top of the stairs, flanked by two more batarians and four varren. "You're almost more trouble than you're worth."

"Let the hostages go, batarian and maybe you'll live long enough to answer to the Citadel Council." Kate commanded.

"I am Commander Balak of the Batarian Rebellion," Balak stated coldly, "I don't answer to the council, or to you! I am leaving this asteroid. My men have set charges all over this complex with the detonator set to my heartbeat. If I die, your little helper and all of her friends on this asteroid are going to die. Killing these people is nothing!" You humans have done worse to the batarian people. We've been forced for decades to survive on what we could scrounge up!"

"Don't make it sound like you're the innocent party here," Kate shouted back, "your people brought the condemnation of the galaxy down on yourselves!"

"Really?" Balak ranted contemptuously. "You invaded our space, took our resources. When we petitioned the Council for aid, they brushed us off! We were left to defend ourselves, but you humans were stronger than us. We knew that, the council knew that, but it didn't matter to them. You and your kind are the only reason we're in this position!"

"Even if that were true," Kate interjected, "how exactly does murdering millions of innocent people make up for that?"

"We had no other option!" Balak spat back at her. "Sometimes you have to do something drastic to get people's attention before they'll listen! That's why we attacked you at Elysium and why we're doing this now! You forced our hand!"

"Bullshit!" Kate shot back, growing even more angry. "You attacked us first. When we retaliated, you ran off to the council hoping for help. When you didn't get it and were too cowardly to face us yourselves, you set up a proxy war to get others to do your dirty work for you. When even that didn't work, you ran away and hid like the cowardly slavers yous are!"

"Enough!" Balak shouted. "You couldn't possibly understand! You don't want to understand! I'm done wasting my breath! We're leaving and if you want these "innocent" civilians to live you won't try to stop us!"

"Go, you cowardly piece of shit," Kate hissed, "you will see me again."

A few moments later her comm unit buzzed.

"Ground team, this is Normandy actual," Pressly stated into her comm, "I have a ship lifting from the surface, signature reads batarian but it's not broadcasting any registry. Permission to intercept."

"Negative, Normandy," Kate replied, "begin medivac operations then get me a damage control party and a bomb disposal unit down here on the double! We need to do a sweep for IED's and get this rock stabilized, ASAP."

* * *

After the bomb disposal unit performed a careful sweep for explosive devices – finding several, some tied to the fusion torch control interfaces and others set to blow out sections of bulkheads and others attacked to doors holding the command crew and engineers for the asteroid move – the damage control party began checking the primary systems for sabotage, finding none.

An older man, who identified himself as Simon Book, the chief engineer of the project came out of hiding.

"Balak left?" he asked when Kate told him that the area was secure. "Is that... is that all right? Did Rosie and her team make it? Are they okay? We were all unarmed so I ordered everybody to split up and hide when the batarians landed and started shooting, but when I lost track of them, I..."

"They had better be," Kate muttered, "I let Balak walk so he wouldn't blow them up. If they're not, he is gonna have a very short, unhappy life."

"You let him go to save them?" Simon asked incredulously, "Is that... won't you get in trouble for that? Couldn't Balak could do the same thing somewhere else?"

"Have you ever hunted, Simon?" Kate asked. "I mean actually stalked an animal in the wilderness?"

"No," Simon replied, "I can't say that I have."

"Hunting an animal requires patience and discipline." Kate explained darkly, "I'll make sure the Alliance knows about Balak. Myself or another Marine just like me will wait for this particular batarian animal to pop his head up again. When he does, the full weight of the Alliance Navy and Marine Corps will rain fire down upon him like the wrath of God."

"Well, I wouldn't want you coming after me," Simon replied, repressing a shiver. "Thank you Captain Beckett, for my grandchildren's lives. You did it. Another hour at full burn and our course would have been irreversible. I ran the numbers, X-57 would have struck near the capital city, the most densely populated region of Terra Nova. Thanks to you, the main computer was able to put us back on our original course. You and your Marines have saved us all.

* * *

 **Three Hours later**

"Gunnery Chief Hastings woke slowly, her eyes extremely heavy, but when she finally managed to pry them open her nose and mouth were covered with an oxygen mask. As her eyes began to focus on her surroundings she began to take in her surroundings – Normandy's sick bay – and breathed a sigh of relief. She was fully aware of the fate that batarians meted out to their prisoners.

A nurse lifted the oxygen mask and lowered a cup and a straw to her lips from which she drank greedily as if she had been trapped in a desert. A few moments later she was met by the kind, but severe face of Dr. Lanie Parrish.

"Welcome back to the land of the living, Chief Hastings," Lanie offered. She'd had to pronounce time of death on two of the Marines from Tean Three that morning due to radioactive round poisoning and was relieved to see one of her patients recover.

"What happened?" Hastings whispered. The last thing she remembered was the whoosh of air as her regulator hose gave way.

"Your regulator took a shrapnel hit from the mine," Lanie whispered, "one of your team connected their emergency hose to keep you alive until help arrived."

"Who...?" Hastings asked, the only member of her team near her had been the quarian. "How?"

Lanie slid back the privacy sheet to reveal Tali'Zorah lying unmoving in the biobed next to hers, the monitor beeped regularly, but she didn't move, except for the rise and fall of her chest inside her enviro-suit.

"Tali moved fast after you were hit," Dr. Parrish whispered, "in spite of the risk of infection due to her species weak immune system, she connected her oxygen system to your damaged regulator. Her suit environment was linked to yours for nearly two hours before the Normandy could medivac you out. She collapsed from the infection as soon as the two of you were brought aboard.

"Oh... my god..." Hastings whispered, "is she...?"

"I don't know," Dr. Parrish whispered, her face knotted with worry, "I've pumped her full of quarian antibiotics and made sure her suit's feeding apparatus had plenty of nutrients but, that's all I can do. The rest is up to her."

* * *

 _ ****Author's note** I would like to take a moment to note today's date. September 11, 2016. Fifteen years ago today two aircraft struck and destroyed the twin towers of the World Trade Center and another crashed into the Pentagon. A fourth aircraft was believed to have been targeting the White House, but was stopped when passengers stepped up, rallying to the words "Let's Roll" to attempt to retake Flight 93 at the cost of their lives. Please remember the nearly 3,000 people who died on that day of infamy, including the first responders who valiantly gave their lives trying to save them.**_

 _ **Honor The Fallen**_


	11. The Cipher

**Chapter Eleven  
The Cipher**

* * *

" _Now there's no fight left within me, but the righting of this wrong.  
As nations we're divided, but as people we are one.  
Like brothers in blood it seems that we've been too long a soldier..."_  
Pat Benetar: "Too Long A Soldier"

* * *

Gunnery Chief Hastings was at wit's end.

She'd been placed on restricted duty for observation and thus had nothing to do to escape the guilt gnawing at her insides. Every person who asked her how she was doing, or wished her a speedy recovery, or stood at attention as she walked by hit her like a stake in her heart and a knife twisting in her guts when she thought of Tali - who'd not thought twice about the consequences to herself when she'd linked their suit environments - down in sick bay fighting and clawing for her life. She was just a kid, not much younger than she'd been when she'd enlisted. No more than seventeen if she figured quarian ages right.

That was hard enough to deal with, but Captain Beckett had unknowingly added insult to grievous injury when she'd called the entire mess hall to orders an hour before and presented her and the three Marines who'd died with the Purple Heart. She was still carrying the box in her shaking hands. Physically it weighed almost nothing, but it was an emotional weight she simply wasn't sure she could bear.

Ann Hastings wanted to go somewhere and scream, or blow the box out the airlock. It was both an honor to wear proudly upon her chest and a lead albatross around her neck in equal measure. Another link in a chain she was forming that she would have to carry into the afterlife and she wasn't sure she could stand it. She didn't feel worthy of Tali's life and didn't know how she would be able to convey that in a letter she was certain was her responsibility to write to her next of kin.

She hadn't been thinking about where she was going as she wandered the Normandy's three decks, until she found herself standing over Tali's bio bed. She watched the measured rise and fall of the young quarian's chest, her eyes taking in the helmet that shielded her from disease and her face from prying eyes. A suit that was both her protection from infection, but also her prison.

It all seemed so clear now why Tali had been so outgoing when she first came aboard. She had to be to make up for the anonymity of an entire life spent in an exo-suit. Ann looked down at Tali'Zorah nar Rayya and for the first time actually saw _her,_ not just the suit. Her fingers moved almost of their own accord as she opened the box, took out the small purple medal shaped in the profile of George Washington and pinned it to the pillow next to Tali's head.

"Tali, you deserve this more than I do. Thank you for my life," Hastings whispered, before she snapped to full attention and her right hand slowly rose to her eyebrow. "Welcome to the Corps."

Hastings relaxed her posture, dragged a chair next to the bed and sat down to wait out the night, assigning herself as Tali's honor guard.

Dr. Lanie Parrish watched quietly from the darkened observation window of her tiny office, but said nothing, only a ghost of her smile creasing her features before she returned to her medical reports. There were enough Marines tending to the honored dead in the cargo bay. It was good that she was not alone in tending to the living.

* * *

" _Captain Beckett, your presence is required in the holographic comm room."_ Normandy's VI stated over the ship's intercom. When she arrived there and logged into the system, she was met with a holographic representation Captain Montgomery.

"Captain Beckett, we've lost contact the colony on Feros," Montgomery began. "There have been numerous unconfirmed sightings of vessels matching geth signatures in the area. Depending upon the veracity of the reports, you may be met with either a frigate or a cruiser. No distress call was sent and with communications still out there is no way to assess the current tactical situation. It could be they lost their transmitter or their transmissions may be jammed from the source."

"Understood, Captain Montgomery," Kate replied, "Normandy out."

* * *

 **Attican Beta Star Cluster  
Theseus System  
Two Hours Later**

The Normandy passed through the relay and entered the Theseus system and immediately engaged the stealth system. There was no indication that their entry into the system hadn't gone unobserved so Captain Beckett ordered their course be set for Feros, the system's second planet. By the time they'd entered standard orbit, there was still no sign of enemy vessels or activity in the area. Though active scans revealed that one of the three towers of the former Prothean archology that supported the Alliance colony was emitting a shield configuration that reflected scans, much like the shield from the ruins on Therum.

"LIDAR is having trouble getting a solid reading through the Prothean architecture, but so far I'm not detecting any sign of enemy vessels or current activity," Castle reported from Hastings' station, "I'm reading heavy damage to the colony, but whatever happened here, I think we missed it."

"Looks like our mission is rescue and recovery then," Kate replied, "Disengage Stealth system and take us in Mr. Ryan, the main spaceport appears largely undamaged. We'll distribute disaster pods and forward their other needs to Colonial Affairs for emergency assistance."

"Aye, Captain," Ryan replied, as they descended from orbit on course for the Zhu's Hope Spaceport. When they reached the landing and docking complex, it was clear that the building was largely deserted, which seemed odd.

"I'm not reading any dockworkers," Castle noted looking down at the sensor board, "but the automated systems have come online in the docking area."

"Understood," Kate replied. "Take us in Mr. Ryan. Mr Pressly, have Chief Engineer Adams go ahead and discharge the capacitors, but maintain combat readiness and be prepared to bug out if the geth come back to finish the job."

"Aye, Captain," Ryan and Pressly replied in chorus.

"Mister Castle go below and get your gear and have Garrus and Wrex suit up as well," Kate ordered, "Something doesn't smell right around here."

* * *

As Normandy's airlock popped and slid up out of the way, they were met by the first human they'd seen since they dropped out of orbit.

"I'm David al Talaquani," the man said, "we saw your ship land and I was sent to meet you. Fai Dan wants to speak with you, immediately."

"Who's Fai Dan?" Kate asked tersely, there was a tension in the man's features that set her off.

"He's our... leader." David replied. "There are geth are hiding in the debris and we need your help to repel them. Before I left they seemed about to make another push."

"We didn't detect any..." Castle began, but Kate waved him off.

"Please, follow me," David motioned, "up these stairs past the freighter. Fai Dan will explain everything."

David al Taquani started forward, but before they could follow, a rocket propelled grenade exploded right next to him, killing him in the blast.

"Normandy, seal the airlock!" Kate exclaimed, "We have incoming!"

Castle and Garrus took up defensive positions at the corner to return fire with their rifles and some well placed grenades. There were too many geth in the confined space for his biotic charge to be practical, so Castle boosted their barriers while he and Garrus ripped into the geth with sledgehammer rounds. Wrex followed close behind firing both his shotgun and assault rifle - one in each hand - chucking darkly each time one of his weapons dropped a geth trooper. He was apparently enjoying himself immensely. Were he human and not krogan, Beckett would have had serious misgivings about his sanity and written him up as a category six case. But for a krogan battlemaster, this was apparently perfectly normal behavior.

"Beckett to Normandy," Kate shouted over her headset, "Mister Pressly, get my ship the hell out of here!"

"Negative Captain," Pressly replied, "geth antiaircraft targeting acquisition just came online and painted the spaceport, Adams was able to tweak our barriers to boost the structural integrity of the hangar so we're secure for now, but we'll be sitting ducks for massed fire if we try to launch."

"Understood, Normandy," Kate replied, not enjoying one bit that she'd been led into a trap and fell for it hook, line and sinker. "Have Mister Esposito post guards and set the GUARDIAN batteries to ground defense mode. If it has a flashlight head kill it."

* * *

Once they reached the two flights of stairs David al-Taquani had indicated -and cleared the stairwell of geth infiltration units- they cautiously entered the main level of the Zhu's Hope colony in the former Prothean tower complex. They circled around the freighter - which appeared to have been caught in the process of unloading by the crates scattered around - and found what appeared to be the man they were looking for. He was standing next to a woman in light combat armor who looked more like a cop than a soldier, who in many respects reminded Kate of herself back on Elysium just before she'd taken command during the blitz, but quashed those feelings down deep.

"Captain!" The man said, waving her over. "My name is Fai Dan, leader of Zhu's Hope Colony Spaceport, I'm glad the Alliance finally sent somebody to help us."

"You're a bit late," The woman stated icily, "aren't you?"

"Arcelia!" Fai Dan admonished. "Sorry Captain, everybody's been on edge since..."

Fai Dan was cut off by the tell-tale stuttering sound of multiple geth working in concert.

"Watch out!" Arcelia shouted. "We've got geth in the tower!"

"Protect the heart of the colony!" Fai Dan shouted.

Castle took point and led the way to the entryway into the tower, but took cover within sight of the door, put his hand up then brought it down in a clenched fist.

"Enemy contacts!" he stage whispered hoarsely, giving the others barely enough time to find cover just before geth poured out of the stairwell and the shooting started in earnest.

The massed squad of geth was bottle-necked by the doorway and were quickly dispatched by massed fire from the four of them as they fought their way to the door, then up the stairwell into the next level of the tower where the bulk of the geth attack force was massed for an assault into the colony.

Unfortunately for the synthetics they were too tightly packed into the area to defend themselves effectively, which gave Beckett and her squad a highly target rich environment. It was like shooting fish in a barrel. The outer courtyard, however was another story.

They were met in a much more open space held by a Geth Prime and two heavily armed destroyers in the process of being reinforced by a geth drop-ship. Castle, Garrus and Beckett drew the fire of the two destroyers and took them out with a combination of grenades and small arms fire. Wrex pressed forward as usual, practically daring the prime to attack him before he opened up with explosive rounds from his heavy shotgun and destroyed it. The loss of their mobile processing hub scattered the massing geth troopers like bowling pins which Castle, Beckett and Garrus picked off without much difficulty.

With the geth troopers annihilated, the lightly armored drop-ship moved off, under small arms and RPG fire from the colonists below.

"That should make them think twice," Garrus noted. "The geth will be more cautious if they think the colonists have been reinforced. If they're smart they'll pull back to regroup. Once we update Fai Dan we should be able to push toward the main geth encampment and deal with the artillery keeping the Normandy grounded."

"Anything about Fai Dan and his pet rent-a-cop seem weird to you?" Castle asked, but nobody answered.

* * *

When they returned to the main level of the Zhu's Hope outpost, they were once again met by Arcelia and Fai Dan.

"The tower is secure now," Fai Dan stated thankfully, "thanks to you, Captain. On behalf of... all of us... at Zhu's Hope, I appreciate your efforts against the geth."

"The geth may have been slowed," Arcelia interjected acerbically, "but they'll be back. They always come back."

"Do you have any idea what they want?" Kate asked.

"If you want answers," Arcelia snapped, "go ask them yourselves."

"We don't know what they're after," Fai Dan interceded, waving Arcelia off, "They landed in force two days ago, took over the ExoGeni tower complex and then attacked us, that's all I know. ExoGeni headquarters appears to be their main base now, so that's as good a place as any to start looking if you want answers.

"The skyway will lead you directly to ExoGeni Headquarters," Arcelia added sarcastically. "You can't miss it, it's the tower with the geth frigate latched onto the side of it."

"What can you tell me about their defenses?" Kate asked.

"I don't have any details," Fai Dan offered, "but I'll wager it's a lot more heavily fortified than the command post they had upstairs."

"Aside from the frigate latched onto the building, they landed several small drop-ships at ExoGeni. There was a bigger ship in orbit yesterday, but we never got a good look at it before the systems went down. I've seen a number of large walking tanks on the skyway, though," Arcelia added, "Expect heavy resistance."

"Is there anything more we can do for you here," Kate asked, "before we push on toward the geth encampment?"

"There are several geth in the lower tunnels," Fai Dan said, his voice oddly subdued, as if that were the last place he wished them to go, "likely guarding the transmitter jamming our comms and giving them a fixed point from which to coordinate their assaults into Zhu's Hope. It isn't a critical threat at the moment, but destroying it would help us better coordinate our defenses and impede their efficiency if they attack us again."

Kate nodded at Fai Dan and the group headed back for the same section of the tower they had just left, this time taking the stairs leading down into the lower reaches of the tower. The stairwell was relatively clear of obstacles, nor were there any geth to speak of, which seemed ominous enough, but it was quiet... almost too quiet for Castle's liking. He could feel the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end. The place felt like a tomb - though to some extent he was sure it had been with the original inhabitants long since dead and gone – the ghostly voices of their dead alien tongue still whispering in his brain. Whispers he tried to ignore, tried to suppress, but they were still there, imprinted upon his psyche by the damned beacon he'd begun to wish had never been dug up.

Suddenly there was movement, the painful groaning and shrieking he would have attributed to a wounded animal had he not seen the man as he wounded the corner. The man turned and looked his right in the eye as they approached him.

"You don't want to go down there," the man said.

"What are you doing down here?" Kate asked, lowering her rifle, but keeping it at the ready.

"Nothing I should be and anything I shouldn't... gaaaaah!" the man replied, nearly doubled over in pain.

"Gah!" he groaned again, righting himself. "That was a good one, very intense!"

"What's the matter with you?" Castle asked.

"Just invoking the master's whip," the man replied, "helps remind me I'm still alive. You're here for the geth, aren't you? You aren't the only one interested in those... things. Don't stay near Zhu's Hope for too long... or you won't care about _why_ you... want to be rid of... the geth anymore."

The man doubled over in pain again as if being jabbed with an unseen cattle prod.

"They are a thorn in the side of the... gaahhh!" he cried out in pain again, "Trying to get to the... aieeeee!"

"This human has clearly lost it," Wrex rumbled, "would be kinder to just kill him."

Garrus nodded in assent if not agreement, but Kate shushed them both.

"Is there anything we can do to help you?" Kate asked, trying to sound sympathetic, even though they all thought the man was clearly insane. "Do you even want help?"

"Help me?" the man asked, having difficulty getting the words out. "No... nobody can... help me now... I'd rather die... fighting."

"Fighting what?" Kate asked. "Maybe I can help you if you told me what the problem is."

"Not... that kind of fight," the man groaned through gritted teeth - clearly in pain - as if something was trying to prevent him from talking to them. "It's like... running through a... thorn bush... the more you struggle... gah! Ask Fai Dan... ask him about the... gaaahhh!"

Before they could ask him any more questions, the man ducked into a side tunnel and disappeared, muttering to himself and groaning in pain as he went.

* * *

After their strange encounter with the man in the tunnels they had little trouble finding the geth transmitter... and the small number of geth and krogan guarding it. Wrex roared in outrage, calling the krogan "tank-bred" as he attacked them mercilessly. The fight was not difficult. When it was done, Castle and Garrus cobbled together some explosives and used them to destroy the transmitter, which cleared up local transmissions almost immediately.

After a quick update to the Normandy, to note that the ship's circumstances had not changed, they returned to the defense perimeter of the Zhu's Hope outpost and informed them about the destruction of the transmitter.

"We found a delirious man down in the tunnels," Kate noted, "is he one of yours?"

"That would be Ian," Fai Dan replied, "he isn't well."

"He seems to be more than just sick," Castle interjected.

"He hasn't been the same since the geth attack," Fai Dan replied almost cryptically. "We tried to help him, but he won't listen to us. I can't help my people if they won't listen."

"Don't you have _medical_ supplies?" Kate snapped, suddenly angry at their blasé abandonment of one of their own. "Make at least _some_ effort to help him if he's mentally ill?"

"I wish it was that simple," Fai Dan replied, seemingly with great difficulty. "Ian Newstead was a good man... once. I wish we could have him with us. Please, Captain, I'd... prefer not to talk about that any... more."

"Is it just me," Castle muttered to Garrus, "or is there something... squirrelly about that guy?"

"Yeah," Garrus muttered back, "there's something... off about this whole damn colony and it's not just the geth."

"I'm heading out, Arcelia" Kate stated, pretending she hadn't heard the two of them muttering behind her. "Is there anything else you can tell me about the geth, or what they might be after?"

"I... uh... I can't tell you anything about that," Arcelia replied, her voice taking on much the same reluctance that Fai Dan's had which did little to allay her companions' suspicions. "I... suggest you go to the ExoGeni building for answers to your questions. I'm just a rent-a-cop, I was hired by the company to stop kids from painting graffiti on the headquarters building I wasn't trained for this... I just want it to end... for the pain to stop."

Given the faraway, glossed-over look in both Fai Dan's and Arcelia's eyes, it was clear to Kate that she wasn't going to get anything further out of them, but she wasn't quite ready yet to believe it was anything more than trauma from the geth incursion. She'd been treated for it herself when she'd returned to Earth after the Skyllian Blitz when the Star of Terra was still shiny on her dress uniform.

"Beckett to Normandy," she stated into headset. "Deploy the Mako, I'm sending Chief Castle back to collect it."

* * *

A short time later, the Mako pulled up and the hatch slid open.

"Milady's chariot awaits!" Castle offered jauntily as Kate and the others climbed aboard and Castle slid over. Though she hid it well, her heart throbbed at his attention, which she hid behind her eye-roll at his theatrics as she slid behind the controls and strapped in. When everyone was ready, she put the Mako in gear and headed for the cargo elevator to the sky-way.

Once there, Kate took the Mako out onto the former Prothean mass transit skyway. Though they did happen upon geth, they were staggered across the length of the sky-way and were relatively dispatched by the Mako's MAC cannon and chain gun. Garrus' _calibrations_ certainly came in handy.

Halfway between the two towers they began to hear sporadic comm chatter in a woman's voice.

" _The geth are deploying along the the walkway in greater strength... where are they going?"_

As they engaged the last of the geth on that portion of the sky-way and drew closer to the ExoGeni building, signified by the frigate-sized geth vessel attached to the side of it. It was little wonder the reports had been so varied as all of their ships tended to look the same, only their sizes were different.

" _We've got movement... some kind of vehicle... not one of the geth..."_

As they rolled into the entry point to a series of ramps leading to the next level of the sky-way, the sensor jamming began to break up, at least locally.

"I'm reading human life signs in the just down the ramp to the left, Captain." Castle pointed out and Kate hit the brakes.

"Shouldn't we be more concerned with the geth?" Garrus asked?"

"They might have intel we can use," Kate replied, "more than Fai Dan was able to give us anyway."

With that Kate shut down the drive and exited the rover.

"Wrex, stay here," she said, "If any geth come calling give us a shout. I need intel not to scare the bejesus out of them."

"All right, Beckett," Wrex rumbled, "It'll probably be a boring conversation anyway."

* * *

Beckett, Castle and Garrus formed up with Castle on point and moved carefully down the ramp into the small enclave of humans guarded by ExoGeni security guards behind makeshift barricades. Though they weren't exactly trying to be stealthy but it still came as something of a surprise when a voice rang out from inside the place.

"You! Out there!" the very nervous man practically shrieked at them. "Come out where we can see you!"

"Relax Jeong," a woman's voice admonished as they stepped into the light, Kate recognized her voice as the one from the comms. "They're clearly not geth."

"Get back, Juliana!" Jeong barked, pistol in hand. "who are you? Wh... what do you want?"

Kate cradled her rifle casually in a clear show of dominance as she stepped closer.

"Captain Beckett, SSV Normandy," she stated with casual authority. "I suggest you put that weapon away unless you're prepared to use it."

"Don't worry about him," the woman tentatively identified as Juliana stated, "he only cares about the company."

"And you trust too easily Juliana," Jeong hissed back. It was clear the two despised each other.

"I'm just glad to see a friendly face," Juliana offered, "I thought we were the only humans left on this planet."

"Fai Dan and some of the Zhu's Hope colonists are still alive," Kate replied. "They're holed up in a strong defensive position near the spaceport."

"I thought you said they were all dead!" Juliana barked at Jeong.

"I said they were _probably_ all dead," Jeong replied, "besides, it would have still been suicide to get across the sky-way with all of the geth."

"They're not dead, but the geth have really pounded them." Kate replied.

"We know what that's like," Juliana replied. "Those damned synthetics are relentless."

"How close are we to their base of operations?" Kate asked. "The geth frigate attached to the building has my ship pinned down in the spaceport."

"You're almost there," Juliana said before Jeong could shush her, "they're holed up in the ExoGeni Headquarters one more level up and a little further up the sky-way."

"That part of the tower is private property, Captain," Jeong cautioned, "remove the geth and nothing else."

"Relax, Mr. Jeong, I'm not here to steal your company's secrets." Kate shot back with contempt. "or do you have something to hide?"

Kate's parting shot to him shut him up, but while he sputtered, Juliana made it clear she was not quite done.

"Before you go, Captain," the older woman said, "My daughter Lizbeth... she's missing..."

"They really shouldn't waste time poking around," Jeong interjected, not realizing it was completely the wrong thing to say, "we can do a proper accounting of our casualties after the geth are gone."

"That's my daughter you're talking about!" Juliana shot back angrily. "She's still alive, I know it!"

"Where was the last place you saw her?" Kate asked, ignoring Jeong completely.

"She's a research assistant," Juliana began, "she was working in the ExoGeni building when the geth attacked..."

"Oh yeah," Jeong interjected condescendingly, "there are plenty of places she could hide..."

He stopped short when her saw not only Juliana, but Castle and Beckett as well glaring at him menacingly, then squeaked out, "...for a short time."

"Do you have any idea what they're after?" Kate asked, trying not to imagine her hands around Jeong's neck. The man reminded her far too much of the detective who had "investigated" her mother's case years ago and she did not like it... or him.

"I have no idea," Juliana replied, still glaring at Jeong contemptuously. "We certainly haven't found anything of value. Something ExoGeni's representatives have been keen to remind us of."

"The company just needs to recoup their investment," Jeong muttered, in what was clearly a well used line for him. "It's nothing personal."

"Stay hunkered down here until I find out what the geth are after and shut them down," Kate suggested, "I'll be back."

"Please...," Juliana pleaded, "if you find my daughter..."

Kate turned away, not sure she could handle more of the older woman's suffering. Juliana Beynham reminded her far too much of her own mother, which brought up old feelings and memories of her once happy childhood she'd spent the last decade trying to bury. Castle began to say something, but she waved him off and moved back up the ramp toward Wrex and the Mako.

* * *

Once the Mako had cleared the ramps to the next level, they battered through two more clusters of geth armature class heavy units and their attendant smaller platforms, they drew closer to the the outer perimeter of the ExoGeni building. With the geth troopers guarding it cut to pieces they found the quickest way into the building blocked by the heavy barriers that surrounded the rest of the building. Their only remaining option was a one way drop down a collapsed maintenance stairwell to the sub-basement garage below. The four of them jumped down to the shattered remains of what had once been a garage for personal shuttles, though it was clear that nearly all of them had been destroyed in the initial assault.

Suddenly a single pistol shot rang out, cleanly missing everyone in the party, but setting them all on edge.

"Damn it!" a young woman's voice exclaimed when she realized she'd fired blind at the good guys and lowered her gun, raising her right hand and approached very slowly.

"I'm sorry!" she offered. "When I saw the krogan, I thought you were geth... or worse."

"Come out into the light, you're safe now," Kate ordered softly. "Who are you and what are you doing all the way down here?"

"I'm research assistant Elizabeth Baynham, Biomedical Division," she replied. "It's my own damn fault really, everyone else was running for the exits and I stayed behind to back up data. The next thing I know, the power had gone out, all these damn shields went up and I was trapped. By the time I got down here the exits were all blocked."

"We'll get you out of here as soon as we figure out what the geth are after and deal with them." Kate stated.

"The most immediate problem isn't the geth," Lizbeth pointed out, but that damned energy field they put up. They don't want anyone getting access to the..."

Lizbeth trailed off when she realized what she was about to say and opened her mouth to change the subject when Kate pounced.

"I'm here for the geth," Kate stated, her stance and eye contact making it clear duplicity was not an option, "and it's very important I find out what they're here for."

"I don't know for certain," Lizbeth replied shrugging her shoulders with a sigh, "but I'm guessing it has something to do with the Thorian."

"The what now?" Castle choked out, hardly able to control his enthusiasm. In spite of his bad experience with the Prothean beacon, his interest in alien cultures hadn't waned.

"It's an indigenous plant based life form," Lizbeth replied, "ExoGeni was studying it. I really don't know all that much. Only that it's really old, possibly older than the ruins."

Though the circumstances sounded unusual, Kate was happy to have any sort of clue what had precipitated the attack. Though a former Prothean archology world, the place had been so completely picked clean over the past fifty thousand years, there was little she could think of that would draw Saren's attention.

"What else can you tell me?" Kate asked. "Do you know where I can find this... Thorian."

All of a sudden, Lizbeth was beginning to look decidedly uncomfortable, not like the Zhu's Hope colonists, but from a motivation Kate knew well from being a cop. She seemed genuinely afraid of something to do with this alien creature. Kate knew there was little she could get from an uncooperative witness, she was genuinely afraid of something besides the geth, and the most likely subject who inspired it was likely that Jeong character she had met earlier.

"I... might be able to tell you more," Lizbeth hedged, "But not with those geth crawling around all over the place. Maybe after we get out of here."

"Do you know anything about the energy barriers the geth put up, or how we might disable them?" Kate asked.

"No... not exactly," Lizbeth responded more readily, "but I've seen them laying power cables everywhere once the shooting stopped. I think they may have tapped into the original Prothean defense systems and used their ship to power them."

"You stay put," Kate admonished, "find a good place to hide and stay there. I'll see if I can kick open the doors."

"Here, take my ID," Lizbeth offered, removing the lanyard from around her neck with an access chip attached to it, "It should get you past any locked doors... well ours anyway."

* * *

Once they were certain that Lizbeth Beynham was in a relatively safe place and wasn't likely to shoot off her own foot, Castle took point and led them toward the door to the stairwell that would lead them up to the next level. Castle peered around the doorway to the next floor, leading with his rifle when he heard the voice of an angry krogan.

"...Stupid machine! Access encrypted files! No I don't want to review protocol!"

" _I am unable to comply with your request," The building's human looking VI replied, "Please contact your supervisor."_

"Damn it!" the krogan bellowed, "Tell me what I want to know or I'll blast your virtual ass into actual dust!"

" _Please contact your supervisor for a level four exemption," The VI replied pleasantly, "or make an appointment with..."_

"Stupid Machine!"

" _If there is nothing else, please step aside,"_ The VI offered, just as Garrus was lining up a shot with his sniper rifle, _"there is a queue forming behind you for the use of this console."_

The Krogan turned on them and charged, weapons drawn, biotics flaring only to be hit by simultaneous fire from all four of them at once and his dead body skidded to a stop at Castle's feet. Kate blew out a breath at the same time Castle did and they shared a look that was two seconds from becoming meaningful when they were interrupted by the VI.

" _ExoGeni Corporation reminds all staff that the discharging of firearms on company property is strictly prohibited,"_ it said, ruining the moment, _"Welcome back research assistant Elizabeth Baynham, what can I do for you?"_

"How do you know I'm _Lizbeth_?" Kate asked.

" _Your access card identifies you as research assistant, Dr. Elizabeth Baynham,"_ the VI replied without pause, _"Is there something you require, Dr. Baynham?"_

"What information was the last user attempting to access?" Kate asked.

" _Fetching data,"_ The VI replied. _"The previous user was attempting to access details on the study of Species 37, the Thorian. I was unable to provide the previous user with any relevant data. Aside from the the user's lack of proper access credentials, there has been no new data available on Species 37. All sensors monitoring the observation post at Zhu's Hope have been inactive for several cycles."_

"What does Zhu's Hope have to do with the Thorian?" Kate asked.

" _Species 37 is located within the substructure of the Zhu's Hope outpost."_

"Tell me everything currently available about the Thorian." Kate ordered.

 _The Thorian is a simple plant life-form that exhibits a sentient behavior uncommon with most flora. Through the dispersion and eventual inhalation of spores, it can infect and assume rudimentary control over other organisms, including – but not limited to- humans."_

" _The Zhu's Hope control group has yielded significant results. Before sensors went off-line approximately eighty-five percent of all inhabitants of the outpost had become infected."_

"ExoGeni knew all along what would happen to those people!" Castle exclaimed. "Bastards!"

" _It was deemed necessary by the project leads to assess the true potential of Species 37."_

"So that's why they were all acting weird." Garrus noted

After several attempts to contact the Normandy – as well as the Mako's VI - they came to the conclusion that the energy field around the building was also jamming both incoming and likely outgoing comms, which led them back to the VI console for more information. Though it desired to be helpful, it's information was limited, due to the power outage – the terminal in question as well as the database it had access to were running on internal batteries – so they were back to the question of the Thorian and the owner of the pass-card they held.

"Please access _'my'_ personal files." Kate ordered.

" _Dr. Elizabeth Baynham, research assistant , Biomedical Division. Security level four exemption. You are currently under probation due to disagreements with ExoGeni Corporation management over established company policy. These sanction may be lifted if your next evaluation is more positive."_

What triggered the probation?" Kate asked.

" _You were listed as 'combative' in reference to the operation of the Zhu's Hope project. Specifically regarding the handling of the infected colonists. As a result you were demoted to research assistant and tasked with monitoring the safety of the colonists for the duration of the observation period."_

"That's enough for now." Kate asserted, terminating her session.

" _Going to stand-by mode for power conservation,"_ the VI replied, _"logging you out."_

* * *

After leaving the now-inactive VI interface panel, Castle once again took point. After taking the stairwell up two levels, they finally rounded the corner on the side of the building the geth frigate was attached to. They noticed the landing claws extending into windows, but they had no ordinance at their disposal strong enough to damage or cut them loose from the building. They moved on, hoping to find either a structural weak point, or a means to create one.

They soon made contact with the main bulk of the enemy force, whom they had take by surprise, as they had assumed they had secured the inside of the building prior to powering up the original Prothean defenses. It had been a dangerous assumption to make, and one that Wrex capitalized upon as he bellowed and attacked the geth with assault rifle and shotgun fire. Castle backed him up with quick shock-wave strikes then accurate fire with his assault rifle. The geth both he and Wrex missed, Garrus and Kate finished off. When the last of the geth fell, they searched the place, noting that the geth were still trying to hack into the main database and had been close to cracking the encryption key.

They also noted the sky-car access door that was currently open with a geth claw latched to the floor. The door actuator panel was powered up and still active, the hydraulic pressure was set at standard levels, which were not helpful, but Garrus made some calibrations to the system, tripling the pressure. When Garrus threw the switch, the heavily reinforced door slammed down on the geth landing claw, shearing it off just above where it was connected to the floor.

With that one landing claw destroyed, the delicate, perfectly balanced weight distribution amongst the landing claws to keep the ship connected to the building under gravity's pull was disrupted and the ship groaned, metal screamed and them the other landing claws tore loose from the building before the ship could power up the engines. The frigate dropped from the side of the tower and fell the hundreds of meters to the planet's surface with little fanfare but an explosion as it struck bottom.

With the geth ship no longer powering the field, it dropped altogether, and suddenly comms were back, evidenced by XO Pressly's anxiety ridden attempts at communication:

"... I repeat, Normandy to shore party! Can you read me? Is there anyone there? Shore party please respond!"

"Normandy, this is Captain Beckett," Kate replied, "report."

"We're in lock-down here, Captain," Pressly responded. "Something happened to the colonists. They're freaking out! Banging on the hull, trying to claw their way into the ship, it's like they're possessed!"

All four of them exchanged a look as Kate responded to the news.

"Keep those colonists away from the ship!" She commanded. "You are weapons free, lethal force is authorized under anti-contagion protocol. Under no condition is _anyone_ to go outside without masks and breathers. Myself and the rest of the shore party will require complete decontamination upon return to the ship. The Mako too."

"Understood, Captain," Pressly replied, "we'll fire off a few warning salvos with the GUARDIAN defense battery. That oughta send them running."

"Okay you guys," Kate ordered. "We need to break through whatever geth remain then deal with the Thorian, let's move."

* * *

As they descended back down the level where they left the Mako, Lizbeth Baynham had come out of hiding and was waiting for them.

"There you are!" she exclaimed, "until I saw the barriers go down, I was beginning to worry!"

"You told me you didn't know anything about this Thorian," Kate growled angrily, "I really don't like being lied to."

"I... I was afraid," Lizbeth replied, shrinking back chastened, "I tried to stop the tests... but they threatened me. Told me I or my mother would be next. When the geth attacked I stayed behind to send a message to Colonial Affairs with enough of the raw data to back it up. I tried to tell them where the Thorian was, but the geth cut the power before I could send it. I... This isn't what my mother and I signed up for. I never meant for this to happen. It's why I gave you my access card."

"Ill try to help them, but I need to know where the Thorian is." Kate replied. A veteran of multiple interrogations and witness statements, both as an NYPD detective and from CID, Kate was a good enough judge of character to know when somebody was being sincere, and her instincts told her that Lizbeth was being as honest with her as the situation allowed.

"The Thorian is underneath Zhu's Hope, but the colonists covered it with that freighter just before the geth attacked."

"But why are the geth interested enough in the Thorian to attack this colony in the first place?" Kate asked. What could they possibly want with it?"

"Well," Lizbeth replied, feeling much more comfortable providing information as she went, "it does have unique mind control abilities. That's why ExoGeni was studying it."

"I think I need to have another chat with your boss," Kate replied, "Saddle up people, let's move!"

"I'm coming with you," Lizbeth offered, "I want to help... undo the mess I helped create."

* * *

With the majority of the geth destroyed, the return trip back across the skyway was much less problematic than the trip out. There were a few geth units to contend with, but with their ship gone, they were disorganized and relatively small in both numbers and processing power and easily swept aside. As they pushed through they heard chatter on the comms.

" _...anybody, is anybody picking this up?"_ in the unmistakable voice of Juliana Beynham.

" _Get away from that radio!"_ came the voice of Mr Jeong.

"What is all that about?" Lizbeth asked, but Kate concentrated on their driving.

" _... this is Juliana Beynham of Feros Colony. Please help us..."_ Juliana began but was interrupted by a burst of static.

"That's my mom!" Lizbeth cried out, "Stop! Stop the rover!"

Kate braked hard next to the ramp down to the ExoGeni enclave and Lizbeth jumped out of the Mako before anyone could stop her. Castle and Beckett gave chase with Garrus and Wrex close behind. They came up behind Lizbeth as a peculiar tableau played out down in the hidden alcove in front of them.

"You can't do this Jeong!" Juliana shouted, confronting the armed man, the other colonists were gathering around her and it looked like a small riot was about to break out, held at bay only by the armed ExoGeni security guards It was clear he was beginning to panic.

"Shut up!" he exclaimed, waving the pistol around. "Everyone just shut up and let me think!"

"What's going on?" Lizbeth whispered to Kate who shrugged her shoulders.

Juliana turned on Jeong, refusing to let him off the hook, or to think pressing the cowardly man back.

"You won't get away with this!"

Jeong pushed Juliana away from him and signaled to the guards who grabbed her and dragged her back, which set off Lizbeth, who raised her pistol and ran down the ramp.

"Get away from her you son of a bitch!" She screamed at him

"Lizbeth!" Juliana shouted, shaking off the grip of the two security guards, relieved -in spite of the current mess that her daughter was still alive as Jeong whipped around and pointed his pistol back at the ramp.

"Damn it!" he practically screeched, panic still setting into his bones that the current predicament was shifting wildly out of his control. "Come out where I can see you! All of you!"

Beckett strode confidently down the ramp, her rifle cradled in her arm, followed immediately by Castle Garrus and them Wrex, who strode behind him as if daring anyone to challenge him, which made the ExoGeni security guards take a step back away from the group of heavily armed, experienced soldiers.

"Captain Beckett," Jeong practically spat, his brain clearly not keeping pace with his mouth, "I should have known it would be too much to hope for that the geth would kill you. I found out some interesting fact about you in the ExoGeni database when the comms came back on. I know what you did in the blitz, but your heroics aren't needed here."

"Don't try to handle me, Jeong," Kate hissed back, "I'm giving you one chance to back down and let the colonists go. After that we start shooting."

"You...you don't understand," Jeong almost whined in response, "it's not that easy. When you took out the geth frigate communications are back up. Colonial Affairs received a data packet about one of our research projects. ExoGeni wants this place purged!"

Kate stiffened and brought her rifle up into the ready position, which prompted the same reaction from her team, and very shortly the ExoGeni guards. Kate would rather not have any unnecessary killing, but if Jeong thought she was going to simply stand by and let him start making people disappear he had another thing coming.

"This is a human colony, Jeong!" Juliana exclaimed. "You can't just re-purpose us!"

"It's not just you!" Jeong spat more at Juliana than Kate. "There's something more valuable to ExoGeni than a few colonists, myself included!"

"Do you want to tell them about the Thorian, Jeong," Kate interrupted harshly, "or shall I?"

"The... what?" Juliana sputtered.

"It's a telepathic life form living under Zhu's Hope," Lizbeth interjected. "It's been infecting the colonists there with spores and taking control of their minds somehow. ExoGeni knew all along!"

"You won't get away with this Jeong!" Juliana spat at him again, but it had no more effect upon him than it had the last half dozen times she'd said it.

"So you keep saying," Jeong asserted, "but trust me nobody's gonna miss a few colonists."

Jeong may have said it casually, but he had no idea it was entirely the wrong thing to say in front of Kate Beckett, kicking her training to serve and protect into overdrive. If Jeong and his guards chose not to see things her way, then they would find out how much better trained Alliance Marines were than low-rent mercenaries.

"You're a bean counter with a handful of poorly trained rent-a-cops, Jeong," Kate barked with angry authority loud enough for all of his hired thugs to hear, "I'm a Spectre leading a squad that just hammer-punched a geth invasion force off this planet. Look at my backup, look at yours and tell me just how good you think your odds are."

Jeong visibly gulped, and his minuscule guard force did a collective internal gut-check as well. None of them felt their odds were particularly good.

"A Spectre?" he scoffed along with a nervous chuckle. "What a load of crap! There are no human Spectres..." Jeong paused for a moment, casting about for anyone... anyone at all to agree with him then continued with a barely squeaked, "...right?"

"Is that really a chance you want to take, Jeong?" Lizbeth pressed. "Nobody will miss a company suit or his hired thugs either."

"ExoGeni will send other assayers..." Jeong choked out, more in a bargaining tone than the authority he now knew was gone, "they will know what happened here."

"Tell them the geth destroyed the Thorian," Castle chimed in, biotics fully charged, his body limned in a blue glow, giving him a more menacing appearance.

"They might buy that," Jeong whined nervously, his pistol having long since drooped casually to his side, "but the infected colonists can't be here when the company men come."

"We can't just kill them," Juliana objected, and from Kate's nod it was apparent that was not an option, "this isn't their fault."

If you kill only the Thorian," Lizbeth posited, from her observations of the colonists since being assigned to monitor their condition as a condition of her probation, "that might just be enough to stop the infection... maybe. No Thorian, no spores."

"It's certainly worth a try," Kate added, but if I go after the Thorian, the colonists will resist. I may not be able to avoid harming them."

"There has to be a way to save them," Lizbeth pleaded, "there has to be."

"Maybe there is," Juliana added after perusing her omni-tool. As the biochemist of the two, this was more in her wheelhouse than her daughter's. "I think you could use a mild nerve agent to safely neutralize the colonists."

"You mean like a gas grenade?" Lizbeth asked.

"The insecticide we use in the grow-labs contains trace amounts of tetraclopine, a neuro-muscular inhibitor," Juliana theorized, "With their nervous systems already compromised it may act as a paralyzing agent."

"It sounds better than the alternative," Kate added. Make your gas grenades and I'll do what I can.

* * *

Forty-five minutes later, the Mako pulled away from the the ExoGeni bunker, having relieved Jeong and the guards of their weapons and turned them over to Juliana and Lizbeth for safekeeping. While Juliana had synthesized the nerve agent, Castle and Garrus used their omni-tools to manufacture the components for the gas grenades. With the limited time available, there was only enough nerve agent to supply herself, Garrus and Castle with four gas grenades each, though Garrus calibrated the grenades' dispersal radius to accommodate several colonists at once. It wasn't much, but at least the chance that she wouldn't have to wipe out nearly fifty people made Kate feel a little more confident that she wouldn't be dragged down the dark path her friend John Shepard had at Torfan.

She only hoped that Wrex could keep his more violent tendencies in check when the time came to engage the colonists and save his rage for the Thorian.

* * *

Their trip back across the archology sky-way was relatively free of complications, but for a very small number of geth stragglers so few in number they were pushed aside with little effort. When they pulled up to the garage door leading back to the Zhu's Hope tower, it did not automatically open to admit them and a strange looking humanoid shaped biped rose from its haunches.

To Castle it looked almost like a plant version of the husks he had seen on Eden Prime. He suppressed a shudder and blasted it with his shotgun, which splattered it all over the wall.

"I don't know what these things are, but if they are anything like husks, it would appear that the colonists will have backup from the Throrian," Castle commented, kicking at the remains of the thing, thoroughly disgusted.

"Agreed, Castle," Kate replied, nodding at Wrex, "Wrex, we'll use the gas grenades to deal with the colonists, your job will be to keep those things from swarming us while we do it, but no hitting the colonists, understood?"

"Understood," Wrex rumbled. As a krogan, he wasn't terribly familiar with the concept of "limited fire" operations, but he knew how to follow orders. Garrus hacked the modern door and it slid up slowly on the ancient housing, where they were met by twelve of the things, screening the colonists who were firing on them from the gallery above.

Wrex ripped into the plant husks with Garrus covering him while Castle and Beckett took the stairs, instead of firing, Castle lead with very mild biotic pushes which shoved the armed colonists away from the stairwell. When they reached the top, Kate tossed one of her gas grenades, which functioned as Juliana had advertised, laying out the colonists unconscious on the deck.

The battle became more and more one-sided as they went, the _"Thorian creepers"_ as Castle had dubbed them, though fearsome in appearance were easily disposed cannon fodder against armed combatants. Had the colonists been better armed or the fight in closer quarters, their numbers may have tipped the scales, but in this instance they were too easily dropped to be effective.

As they circled around and the last of the colonists had fallen to the gas grenades, the Zhu's hope colony took on an almost eerie, deathly silence. Castle moved to the lift platform, and activated it, lifting one of the transport's cargo containers up out of the way to reveal a stairwell leading down into a section of the tower it was clear they had very carefully kept guarded. _"the heart of the colony"_ as Fai Dan had called it. Out of the silence, they heard a single set of footsteps behind them.

When they whirled around they saw Fai Dan himself. Castle, Beckett and Garrus all reached for a gas grenade as he approached slowly, clearly in immense pain, by his shaky, shambling footsteps, but they were all gone. His weapon was drawn, but pointed at the deck.

"I tried to fight it," Fai Dan grunted with great difficulty, "but it gets in your head... you can't imagine the pain. I was... supposed to be their leader. These people... trusted... me."

His weapon came up, and they all raised their weapons toward him in response.

"It... wants me to... stop you... but... I _won't_ ," he groaned, fighting to raise his head, dragged the pistol under his chin and screamed _"_ _ **I WON'T!**_ _"_

He pulled the trigger and blew out the back of his own head, sending blood and brain matter spattering against the freighter's modular hull before he dropped lifelessly to the ground like a marionette with its strings cut. When Castle knelt to close his eyes Fai Dan appeared more serene than he could recall seeing the man.

After nearly a year of enthrallment to the Thorian, he was finally free.

Kate unfolded an emergency blanket from her pack and covered Fai Dan's body with it, treating his remains with as much respect as she could under the circumstances. His family, if they were alive didn't need to see him like that. She motioned for the stairwell and they made ready to move out. Each of them paid their respects as they passed by the man's shrouded body, quietly acknowledging the enormity of his sacrifice.

Even Wrex grunted and nodded as he passed by out of grudging respect for the man who – much like Matriarch Benezia – had fought back against his oppressor the only way he'd been able. It was up to the four of them to make Fai Dan's last act of defiance worth what he'd paid for it.

* * *

Castle took point and they moved carefully down the ancient staircase until they reached the one exit that wasn't choked with debris. There were no doors, most likely torn away ages ago given the patina of the rust on the sheared away door frame.

"Okay, we take this by the numbers," Kate began, "we just need to find... to... find..."

Her self assured sense of what to do about this alien slipped away once she walked into the cavernous, vaulted cathedral-like space and actually took in the true scope of the creature that was the Thorian. It's tendrils and nerve clusters spread out through the entire interior space of what had once been a massive cargo elevator shaft down to the surface of Feros, fifteen hundred feet below. The giant, bulbous head of the creature looked dully at them as the filed into the room in absolute shock at the very nature of a thing which had spread it's tendrils upward into the tower over the last fifty thousand years.

"What... is... that?" Castle muttered, not realizing he'd spoken out loud.

"Nothing's ever simple... is it?" Garrus lamented.

"We are gonna need bigger guns," Wrex rumbled. "Bigger _fucking_ guns."

Before the four of them could move any closer, the Thorian's eyes focused upon them for the first time since they'd walk into the place. The creatures head throbbed and pulsed until its tentacle covered mouth began to drip with slime and a bipedal form slid down and out of its maw. Which when it straightened out, appeared to be an asari dressed in body armor, but with green skin instead of their usual blue.

The asari-like creature drew closer and regarded them for a moment as if receiving instructions then focused her eyes upon them, fully.

"Invaders!" she stated without preamble. "Your every step is a transgression. A thousand tendrils appraise you as meat, good only to dig or decompose. I speak for the old growth, as I once did for Saren. You are within and before the Thorian. It commands you to be in awe."

"I need what you gave to Saren." Kate replied.

"Saren sought knowledge of those who are gone," the asari creeper replied, "The Old Growth listened to flesh for the first time in the long cycle. Trades were made. Then cold ones began killing the flesh that would tend the next cycle, flesh fairly given in tribute. The Thorian is a piece of this world, extending into the land and back through the ages. You can no more kill it, than you can cut the sky. The old growth sees the air you push as lies. It will listen no longer!"

The asari creeper's final statement gave them scant warning before a mass of Thorian creepers attacked, pouring out of adjoining chambers as fast as the doorways would allow. Kate was the first to open fire, tearing the asari creeper to shreds in a hail of incendiary sledgehammer rounds.

With no more restrictions to their use of force in effect, Castle and Wrex charged biotics and split up, each taking a side and unleashing their dark energy attacks. Castle sent a shock-wave that split the current of creepers aside, bathing the walls in their ichor, while Wrex set loose a warp pulse, followed by a singularity which had much the same result.

Kate trailed closely behind Rick, firing wildly with her rifle - as Garrus followed Wrex - the two soldiers keeping their biotic counterparts from being surrounded and overwhelmed. As She and Castle passed into the next chamber to see a large bundle of tendrils and nerve endings buried into the wall, she was filled with sudden inspiration and unleashed a burst of incendiary weapons fire into it, causing it to explode. This triggered a loud, unholy screech from the "head" of the Thorian in the central chamber.

"Garrus," she shouted into the comms, "While Wrex keeps the creepers busy, concentrate your fire into any nerve clusters you see that are secured to the walls or ceiling. I think they might be anchor points for the thing."

"Makes sense," Garrus replied, "Diffused creature or not, cut off it's root system and the thing dies. I'm on it."

The destruction of several anchoring nerve tendrils later, the creature screamed and the tower shook as the last of the anchor points began to tear free from the walls. With too many of it's anchoring tendrils destroyed to support the creature's weight, it pulled loose from the where it hung in the shaft and dropped from sight, screaming its unholy wail all the way to the ground, fifteen hundred feet below where it exploded in a torrent of green and yellow ichor.

While the four of them caught their breath in the now empty central chamber, nobody saw as a slender asari form struggle out of a pod attached to the wall and slip gracelessly to the ground. The echo of her footfalls drew all of them around with weapons drawn.

"I'm free!" the asari exclaimed. "I give you many thinks for releasing me!"

"Who are you and how did you end up in there?" Kate challenged.

"My name is Shiala," she said, "I serve... I served Matriarch Benezia. When she allied herself with Saren, so did I. Benezia had foreseen the the influence Saren would have, so she joined him with the hope of guiding him down a gentler path, but Benezia did not cunt upon how compelling Saren could be and she lost her way."

"Are you saying that Saren can control minds?" Castle and Beckett asked almost in unison.

"Benezia underestimated Saren, as did I," Shiala continued. We came to believe in his cause and his goals with almost fanatical zeal. The power of his influence is... troubling."

"Asari matriarchs are the most intelligent and powerful beings in the known galaxy," Kate asked, "How could one fall so swiftly under Saren's control?"

"Saren has a vessel he calls Sovereign," Shiala replied. "I don't know how, but it can dominate the minds of his followers. They become indoctrinated to his will. It took time - and make no mistake, Benezia was the last of us to fall – but in the end it's subjugation of our minds was absolute."

Kate nodded, she had heard most of this from Benezia herself on Noveria, but she allowed Shiala to tell the story in her own words. Just like in an interrogation room back in New York City, there were some who merely wanted their story to be heard and talked rather freely once confronted with their crimes. Shiala seemed no different.

"I was a willing slave when Saren brought me to this world. With Benezia gone, he needed my biotics to communicate with the Thorian and learn its secrets. Saren offered me in trade to secure an alliance between it and him. Once Saren had what he came for, however, the Thorian became a liability. He knows you also seek the conduit. He sought to destroy the the Thorian so you too could not gain the cipher."

"What's the cipher _?_ ," Castle demanded, his curiosity and need to understand the whispers in his head coming to the fore. "Why does Saren need it?"

"So, you were the one who used the beacon," Shiala stated. "The beacon on Eden Prime gave you visions like it did to Saren, but those visions were confused and unclear. They were meant for a Prothean mind. To truly comprehend them, you must think as a Prothean... understand their culture, their history, their very existence. The Thorian was a part of this world long before the Protheans colonized this world. It watched them, even subjugated a few of them. When they were wiped out it consumed them and their essence became part of it."

"How did you give this cipher to Saren?" Kate asked, concern for Castle overriding her duty for the moment.

"I can give you the cipher, Mister Castle," Shiala said, all but ignoring Kate, "transfer the knowledge of the Protheans directly from my mind to yours."

Shiala approached Castle slowly, almost seductively, which set off a pang of jealousy in Kate. If he hadn't needed this knowledge to keep his sanity from slipping away she would have found some excuse to shoot her, almost considered doing it anyway, but she didn't lose her self control.

"Try to relax, Richard," Shiala said softly, gently, her every word a caress as she drew near to him. "Slow, deep breaths. Let go of your physical shell. Reach out to grasp the threads that bind us, one to another."

Kate could almost see herself choking the life out of Shiala as she watched the asari draw closer and closer to him, soothing him with every soft quiet word that came out of her mouth.

"Every action sends ripples across the galaxy," Shiala said softly. "Every idea must touch another mind to live. Each emotion must mark another's spirit. We are all connected. Every living thing united in a single, glorious existence."

Kate almost didn't see it when the asari commando's biotics flared to life and her eyes turned completely black, but by then it was too late to stop this as Shiala's hands drifted to Castle's temples.

"Open yourself to the universe, Richard Castle... _**EMBRACE ETERNITY!"**_

Shiala's mind melded with Castle's in a flash of dark energy. Images flooded his mind much as they had with the beacon... images, sensations, voices, touches of thought. Colors he had no names for, images of worlds he had never seen. The Reapers cloaked the world in their darkness and death followed in their wake. Soon the sensory overload became to much and he screamed.

After a few seconds, which seemed like the eternity Shiala spoke of, she released him. As soon as her hands stopped gripping his shoulders, Castle slumped to his knees and Beckett was at his side without second thought, while Shiala regarded him with something bordering on tenderness.

"I have given you the cipher just as it was given to me, and I to Saren," She offered him softly. "The very essence of everything the Protheans had been is now a part of you."

"Are you okay?" Kate whispered to him, almost ignoring Shiala completely.

"I saw... something," Castle whispered, "it still... doesn't make any sense."

"You have been given a great gift, Richard," Shiala told him. "The life experience of an entire people. It will take time for your mind to process this information."

"You look a little queasy, Castle," Kate whispered to him softly, "we should get you back to the ship so Lanie can take a look at you."

"I am sorry if he has suffered, Captain," Shiala offered, "but there was no other way. He needed the cipher In time it will help him understand the vision from the beacon."

"We can't stay any longer, Shiala," Kate stated flatly. "We have to stop Saren before he can get to the Conduit."

"Then may fortune favor your journey, Captain Kate Beckett," Shiala replied. "As for me, I shall remain here and consider it my penance to do what I can to aid and protect these colonists as long as even one of them remains."

As Kate began to leave, Shiala grasped her arm gently and offered one final thought.

"I was one with his mind," she whispered softly. "He cares about you, Kate Beckett, you may not see it yet, nor may you not want to see it, but he does. He will not falter in his love for you as others may have done."

* * *

 _ ****Author's note** Official word count is now 59,718 words. (and still counting with two more acts still waiting in the wings)**_


	12. Calm Before The Storm

**Chapter Twelve  
Calm Before the Storm**

* * *

" _Dust fills my eyes  
Clouds roll by and I roll with them  
Centuries cry  
Orders fly and I fall again.  
_

 _This world is spinning inside me  
The whole world is spinning inside me  
Every day sends future to past  
Every step brings me closer to my last"  
_Dream Theater: "Pull Me Under"

* * *

SSV Normandy did not depart Feros right away.

Though their mission was complete - they had repelled the geth attack and discovered Saren's interest in the small seemingly unimportant colony - they had received a priority request from Alliance Command to remain on station until a relief vessel arrived.

The on-site assessor for Exo-Geni, Steven Jeong had not been wrong, a burst transmission from Dr. Elizabrth Baynham had been received by Colonial Affairs, detailing the highly illegal examination of the Thorian and the use of human beings as unwilling test subjects. It was only a matter of time before an ExoGeni team arrived to "purge" the planet. Her duties had included securing the ExoGeni building and locking out its system so Jeong couldn't purge the evidence it contained.

When the ExoGeni transport ship arrived, it was met at the beacon by the Alliance Cruiser Hyperion Bay, ordered to heave to and prepare to be boarded. The ExoGeni assessor on board was taken into custody and the ExoGeni Corporation was informed formally by the Citadel Council that their actions on the colony would be closely examined, as such there would be no purge.

In order to save face and prevent their dirty laundry from being aired in public, the corporation's board of directors pledged to fully fund the Feros colony as well as pay full restitution to the infected colonists, including the family of Fai Dan who had made the ultimate sacrifice to protect his people.

After Hyperion Bay escorted the ExoGeni vessel into orbit over Feros and took up station, the Normandy was cleared to depart.

* * *

Castle seemed distinctly uncomfortable while Lanie ran her battery of tests after the ground team had passed through full decontamination. Though spores from the Thorian had been detected in all four of them, since it's death they had been rendered inert and seemed to be responding to each of their immune systems - Especially Wrex's - who also grumbled the loudest.

Castle's examination was the most extensive by far, however, especially a brainwave and central nervous system battery under Captain Beckett's direct orders.

* * *

"Well?" Kate asked, when she stepped into Lanie's office after her tests were complete.

"He'll live," Lanie replied, giving Castle a warm smile and a flick on the cheek.

"What, no brain damage?" Kate asked with a mischievous smile more for Castle's benefit. In fact she had been greatly distressed, given how pale, dizzy and nauseous he had been after Shiala had given him the cipher.

"If he has some, it happened way before before last night and was probably self-inflicted," Lanie quipped, giving him a slight wink so he knew she wasn't making light of the toll the beacon and this new brain probe had taken on him. She tried to maintain a light bedside manner.

"Ahh, good times," Castle deadpanned. He knew Beckett was more worried about him than she let on, so he did what he always did, tried to bury his discomfort with humor. Both his and Lanie's attempts at it seemed to be receiving mixed results.

"How about your other patients, Lanie?" Kate asked. "How soon can I have my sensor specialist back at her post?"

"Officially?" Lanie replied, "I'm keeping her for observation for another twenty-four hours. Barring any unforeseen complications I will certify Chief Hastings as fit for duty after that."

Lanie nodded out the observation window to the bio bed where Tali lay, with Hastings seated next to her, quietly reading aloud from the most recent Richard Rodgers novel, Storm Fall.

"Off the record," Lanie noted almost solemnly, "I think she needs to be here when Tali wakes up - which should happen any time in the next few hours if my current medical scans are any indication. I don't think she'd be able to concentrate on her duties otherwise."

* * *

Shortly afterward, the meeting was called in the comm room again to discuss their findings, though nothing seemed remarkable about their encounter on Feros other than the cipher.

"You still look rather... pale, Mr. Castle, even for your species," Liara stated. "Are you suffering any ill effects from your merging with Shiala?"

"Receiving the Cipher shook me up a little, yeah," Castle replied.

"The joining can be... difficult for a being to handle the first time, and my mother's chief acolyte was not always the most gentle. I might be able to help you," she offered, noting Beckett's raised eyebrow, but plowing ahead nonetheless, "I am an expert on the Protheans, if I join my consciousness to yours, perhaps I can help you make some sense of it."

It was clear to everyone present after he paled a little more, that Castle wasn't terribly keen on the idea of another go-round of having his brain probed so soon after his experience with Shiala. Kate began to open her mouth to intervene, but he beat her to it.

"Okay..." he muttered gamely, sounding less than enthusiastic about it, but he had to know if what was in his head was going to be helpful, considering that Saren had too much of a head start already. "If you really think it will help."

Liara stood up and approached him, beckoning for him to stand as well. Kate gripped the arms of her chair till her knuckles began to turn white. She'd seen what Shiala's melding had done to him and was still quite wierded out at what the older asari had said to her immediately after.

"Relax, Rick," Liara whispered soothingly, her fingers caressing his face just before her biotics flared and her eyes went black. "Embrace eternity!"

* * *

 _Once again the vision snapped into frame in his mind, the same images, the same horrors, the same sense of dread and despair, but he understood what most of the voices were saying this time, giving him crucial context on what he saw that he'd lacked without the cipher._

 _Unlike the blinding overload when Shiala had slammed the cipher into his brain, the brush of Liara's mind merging with his was like a gentle caress. The light, soothing touch of her presence acted as a guide, bringing order and symmetry to the raging chaotic flood of information from the beacon._

 _He could feel from the voices in the vision that it was not just a warning about the reapers, but a cry in the dark seeking others of their kind, a notice that they were going to use the conduit to effect the outcome of "this cycle or the next." Telling them to come to... come to... something._

 _Something was missing. There was more to the message, they were certain, but the last part of it was just... gone. The information simply stopped like a comm message cut from the source. He could hear himself – or was it Liara? - swear in a language that was not his own._

* * *

Just after that thought floated up through their joined consciousnesses, Liara cut the connection. Her own mind overwhelmed by the flood of information from the beacon and it's sudden disjointed end, breaking the connection to spare her psyche – and Castle's – from further damage.

"That was... incredible!" Liara spluttered, clearly overwhelmed herself by the experience, "All this time... all my research... I'd never dreamed... I'm sorry. The images were just so vivid. I never imagined the experience would be so... intense!"

Kate was not exactly enthused by Liara's reaction to being merged with Castle's mind, which sounded more like the sort of things one would say after really good sex - ' _or what a cosplaying fangirl at a Nebula 9 convention might say'_ her own traitorous mind supplied - which did nothing to soothe the rising torrent of jealousy raging through her, which she did her best to suppress as she waited for Liara to get to the _fucking_ point already.

 _'God I hope I didn't say that out loud,'_ Kate thought to herself. She was almost relieved when Liara returned her attention to Castle... almost.

"You are remarkably strong willed, Chief Castle," Liara stated, which caught Kate's jealous bone once again. The young, introverted asari really had no clue how to interpret human social cues or she might have chosen her words more carefully, "what you have been through would have destroyed a lesser mind."

"Did you _find_ anything?" Kate snapped - a little more testily than she would have liked - which brought Liara up short. She composed herself carefully before turning to face the captain's chair.

"The beacon on Eden Prime must have been badly damaged," Liara replied warily, after taking a moment to compose herself - sounding more like the professional archaeologist she was as opposed to the gushing fangirl she'd sounded like a moment before. "The data transferred into Chief Castle's mind is incomplete."

"Are you sure you didn't find some sort of clue or hint?" Castle asked, sounding so much like a lost little boy in his desperation for the vision to be worth the heavy price he'd paid for it that it tugged at Kate's heartstrings. "Any sort of chain of events to make the vision make sense?"

"Everything I saw, you already know," Liara replied, wishing she had more for him, but hoping to reassure him, nonetheless. "You were right about the Reapers - the Protheans _were_ destroyed by a race of sentient machines they referred to by that name. That you were able to deduce even _that_ much before receiving the cipher was nothing short of amazing. From what was there, it is clear that the Reapers, the Prothean extinction and the Conduit are connected somehow, but I was unable to see anything to help us find it."

"Where does that leave us?" Kate asked, still unsure if this line of inquiry would get them any closer to finding Saren and completing her mission.

"Saren must have access to the missing data," Liara added. "Perhaps he found another beacon, or it was damaged after he accessed it. If we can find the the missing data, I can..."

Liara was suddenly cut off by a wave of dizziness. She nearly swooned, but stayed on her feet with difficulty.

"I... I am sorry," Liara stuttered. The joining is... exhausting. I should go to my quarters... and lie down."

"Should I have Dr. Parrish look in on you?" Kate asked, genuinely concerned.

"That... shouldn't be necessary," Liara replied, "I just need some rest. I haven't joined minds with anyone in a very long time and never under such circumstances."

Kate nodded and Liara slipped quietly from the room, Esposito, trailing behind the young asari at a shake of Kate's head, to make sure she made it to her quarters safely.

"Captain, I sent the Feros report," XO Pressly stated over the intercom, "They are requesting that I patch them through to you."

"Make it so, Mr. Pressly," Kate replied.

"Aye, Captain," Pressly reported, "setting up the link now."

A few seconds later, holographic representations of the three members of the Council appeared in the center of the room.

"Captain," Asari Councilor Tevos stated without preamble, "ExoGeni should have told us about the Thorian, it would have made your job on Feros much easier. We will be looking more closely into their colony development projects in the future and the disposition of any colonists on their existing ones."

"Perhaps if they had been more forthcoming," Salarian Councilor Valern added, "you might have been able to capture it for further study instead of destroying it."

"ExoGeni was trying to study it and look how that turned out," Kate snapped. "The ones who survived may have congenital health problems for the rest of their lives."

"Perhaps it's for the best then," Tevos added, trying to keep the peace as best she could, "at least the colony was saved."

"Of course it was saved," Turian Councilor Sparatus spat, "Captain Beckett would go to _any_ lengths to save a _human_ colony."

"I _never_ jeopardized the mission!" Kate snapped at him, and Tevos gave Sparatus an arched eyebrow that stated ' _you're not helping'_ before he slapped his console in a huff and his hologram disappeared.

"That's good, Captain," Valern consoled, "stopping Saren is your primary goal, everything else is secondary."

"The Feros report was not the only reason we needed to speak with you, Captain Beckett," Tevos added, "we've received information which may be critical to your mission to track down Saren."

"I'll take all the help I can get," Kate replied diplomatically.

"We've received an urgent message from one of our infiltration regiments in the traverse," Valern stated.

"I'm listening," Kate urged.

"The Salarian Union's Special Tasks Group currently has several infiltration regiments scattered across the border regions between the Terminus Systems and Citadel Space," Valern continued. "This unit in particular was recently re-tasked to gather information on Saren's movements."

"What did they find?" Kate asked - her patience wearing thin - secretly wondering why Valern was being so circumspect about something that was supposed to be urgent.

"Unfortunately, the message we received was little more than static," Valern explained. "The infiltration team must not be able to set up proper interstellar comms, or possibly jammed at the source. However, it was on a channel reserved for mission-critical information, whatever they were trying to tell us, we know it was important."

The aging salarian paused for a moment to let that sink in before he continued.

"Considering your interest in Saren, we thought you might want to investigate this situation yourself. Their transmission originated on a planet in the Terminus Systems named Virmire. I would consider it a personal favor if you would find and recover our infiltration team if you can."

"I'll look into it," Kate deadpanned, trying to hide her enthusiasm that she had another investigative avenue to run down. Too much stress had already been placed on Castle's ability to parse the data jammed into his head by the beacon for her liking.

"The council prefers not to become personally involved in the specifics of Spectre activities, Captain," Tevos added. "We simply want you to be aware of your options, including Virmire. Good luck, Captain Beckett, we will keep you apprised if we learn anything more."

With that, the channel was cut at the source, leaving Kate to ponder what they had been told quietly for a moment, before she keyed the intercom.

"Mr. Pressly, set course for the Terminus Systems if you please, destination: Virmire. Place the IES system on standby and go to silent running as soon as we cross the border."

* * *

Down in the med-bay, Gunnery Chief Hastings was still quietly reading out loud next to Tali's bed.

"She stood there in stunned disbelief as the light in his eyes dimmed. He reached out for her and she took his hand, squeezing it for the very last time. She felt her heart stop a beat and in that moment, she knew he was gone. Darkness fell across the face of the city and across her face as well. _'Good ,'_ she thought, as the wind gathered up her hair, _'no one will see my tears.'_ "

"Oh... keelah...," Tali groaned as she stirred, and Ann was shocked for a moment, a smile slowly blooming on her face as the realization struck her.

"Doctor!" she shouted, "Doctor Parrish, she's awake!"

Before Lanie could arrive, Tali grabbed Hastings' arm.

"How does wind gather up hair anyway?" she whispered and Hastings laughed, it was something she'd always wondered herself.

* * *

 ** _**Author's Note: If anything happened to Tali, I'm pretty sure my fellow Mass Effect fans would line up to have me drawn and quartered. Not that I was ever planning to do anythng drastic. This chapter was originally supposed to be attacched to chapter 11, but it had a satisfactory conclusion, told what needed to be told and I figured 11K might be pushing it. So enjoy!_**


	13. Revelation At Virmire

**Chapter Thirteen  
Revelation On Virmire**

* * *

" _Hope and pray that you'll never need me,  
But rest assured I will not let you down.  
I'll walk beside you but you may not see me,  
The strongest among you may not wear a crown!" _  
3 Doors Down: "Citizen/Soldier"

* * *

It took nearly four days of circumventing the hostile territory of the Terminus Systems to reach Virmire. The Mass Relay got them most of the way there, but it was necessary to take a more circuitous route from the local relay point under silent running than it would have under normal conditions. This had been partially due to speed restrictions while the IES system was running to keep the Normandy's EM signature down, as well as a detour to vent the heat sinks without risking detection.

Since resuming her post, Hastings had spent much of her off-duty time during this period in the Med-bay and after her release, talking to Tali, where the two of them quickly discovered that – despite their wildly different species' and cultures - they shared a lot of things in common. Both were the children of high ranking military officers, not to mention similar tastes in movie genres and literature. Hastings continued to share her love for Richard Rodgers novels - neither of them suspecting that they served with the author himself – and twentieth century blockbusters. Tali, in turn turned Hastings on to her favorite vids _"Fleet and Flotilla"_ and the _"Blasto the Jellyfish"_ series of action films.

Though neither of them could say exactly when it happened, they had inexplicably become friends, spending much of their time in the galley talking books, literature, poetry and commenting on how cute a couple Captain Beckett and Chief Castle would be if only the two of them would admit it to themselves - the regs about officers and enlisted personnel, notwithstanding. Even speculating – in very hushed tones – how adorable their potential offspring might be.

* * *

As the Normandy slipped stealthily into orbit over Virmire, Hastings was once again at her post at the LIDAR station.

"Detecting multiple active GUARDIAN defense towers on the surface," Hastings reported. "None are in acquisition mode or tracking us, but once we hit atmo we'll be detected."

"I'm reading a signal on Citadel channels," Pressly added, "must be the salarian infiltration team."

"Prepare the Mako for orbital drop," Beckett ordered. "We'll go in hot and take out the AA towers at their location. Castle, suit up and have Wrex and Garrus meet us in the cargo bay bearing full arms."

* * *

Shortly thereafter, the Mako made planet-fall on Virmire, less than a kilometer from the their target without incident in a well executed combat drop, clean and by the numbers.

"Stay in orbit on silent running until we bring the AA towers down, then make for the salarian camp," Kate ordered. "We'll evac them and find out what they've learned that was so vital to bring us here."

"Aye, Aye, Captain," Pressly replied, "good hunting."

The AA tower control station was not terribly well-guarded. It was clear that secrecy had been the base's most powerful defense. The AA towers and minimal geth patrols might have been enough to repel an attack by disorganized raiders, but not a surgical strike by an organized fire team.

They managed to disable the AA towers with relative ease. Garrus had even managed to make it appear as if the defense tower had been taken down for emergency maintenance due to an incursion by local fauna. It would seem that every species had their version of a "squirrel in the wiring" issue, even the geth.

* * *

The Normandy dropped out of orbit and descended into the sector and slid into the zone that should have been covered by the AA tower in question.

"Captain, we've landed at the Salarian base camp," XO Pressly reported over the comms, "but it seems we've been grounded. The salarian captain will explain when you get here."

Upon their arrival at the salarian camp, set up near their small scout ship under camouflage netting, one of them approached with a military bearing that spoke of his position even though his hard-suit bore no insignia. They both snapped to attention and saluted.

"Captain Kate Beckett, SSV Normandy," Kate stated dryly. "What's your status?"

"Captain Kirrahe, Third Infiltration Regiment, STG," Kirrahe replied formally, "You and your crew have just landed in a hot zone. When your ship landed, every anti-aircraft battery within ten kilometers was alerted to your presence."

"What do you suggest we do about it?" Kate asked.

"We stay put until the council sends the reinforcements I requested." Kirrahe replied.

"We are the reinforcements," Castle interjected.

"What?" Kirrahe choked. "You're all they sent? I told the Council to send a fleet!"

"The Council couldn't understand your transmission," Kate added, "they sent me to investigate."

"That would be an unnecessary repetition of our task," Kirrahe stated darkly, "I lost half my men _investigating_ this place."

"What have you found?" Kate asked.

"This is Saren's base of operations," Kirrahe noted. "He's got a research facility set up here, heavily fortified and crawling with geth. I watched as one of the local pirate gangs came to throw their weight around and they were torn to pieces."

"Is he here?" Kate asked, "Have you seen him?"

"Not in person," Kirrahe replied, "but we've intercepted comms referring to him by name. This is Saren's facility all right, there's no doubt about it. He's using it to breed an army of krogan.

"How's that possible?" Wrex rumbled, butting in to the conversation.

"Apparently Saren's discovered a cure for the genophage." Kirrahe stated coldly.

"The genophage was the cure for the _krogan_ problem,"Wrex stated, glaring at Kirrahe, his anger clearly rising.

"We introduced the genophage into the krogan population near the end of their uprising centuries ago to quell their numbers. Without it, the krogan would have quickly overrun the galaxy. Making the situation even worse, _these_ krogan follow Saren. The geth are a big enough threat, but with a nearly unlimited army of krogan... he'd be unstoppable! We must ensure that this base and its secrets are destroyed."

"Destroyed?" Wrex rumbled louder, leaning dangerously into Kirrahe's personal space – whom to his credit didn't flinch. - "I don't think so. My people are _dying_ and this cure could save them."

"If the genophage cure leaves this planet," Kirrahe stated with equal conviction, not bothering to even look at Wrex, "krogan numbers will swell unchecked. We ignored first contact protocols and uplifted them to fight a war we couldn't win, then unleashed them on the galaxy. We can't make the same mistake again."

"We are not a mistake!" Wrex roared, before storming off angrily.

"Is he going to be a problem, Captain?" Kirrahe asked, "we already have enough angry krogan to deal with."

"Don't worry about it captain," Kate replied, already not liking where this was going. She'd heard about the Rachni Wars earlier, then looked into the the history. Apparently after the rachni had been exterminated the krogan – who hailed from a planet deadly enough to keep their rapid breeding in check – had been granted colony worlds surrounding their native planet of Tuchanka. Which they promptly overpopulated then began forcibly expanding into outlying worlds. The Krogan rebellions had been long and bloody, until first contact with the turians put a stop to their expansion plans.

Clearly there were things that had been left out of the records, and this _genophage_ was one of them.

"I do worry," Kirrahe noted. "That's why I'm still alive. You should talk to the krogan, while I come up with a plan to attack the facility. In the meantime, feel free to speak with Commander Rentola, my executive officer if you have any questions."

"What a goddamn mess," Castle muttered, once he was sure Kirrahe was out of earshot, "as if things couldn't get any worse. Wrex looks like he's gonna blow a gasket."

"I should go talk to him," Kate said. "See if I can reason with him."

"Wouldn't hurt to try," Castle noted, then thought better of it. "On second thought, it might, so be careful okay? You might not realize it, but most krogan are a little touchy about the subject. The one time I asked Wrex about it he looked like he was gonna tear my head off... literally and metaphorically."

"I'll try to tread lightly," Kate affirmed, "but watch my back, Castle... just in case."

"Always," Castle replied, his hand brushing hers lightly as they stared into each others eyes... before the booming report of Wrex's shotgun broke the silence and ruined the moment.

"I think I should go," Kate muttered as she jerked her hand away and nodded toward Wrex, "over there... talk to Wrex."

"Yeah... uhm... yeah," Castle replied, equally effected, "I'll be right here... ummm watching your back."

Feeling just a little bit buoyed by the fact he was just as effected by her as she by him, Kate put just a little extra sway in her hips as she sauntered away. She knew her conversation With Wrex was going to be deadly serious, but that didn't mean she could resist having a just a tiny fraction of harmless fun.

Castle stopped and stared for just a moment, as Kate sauntered away from him, before he shook off the cobwebs and drew his shotgun, ready to back Kate's play if Wrex went too far off the rails. He didn't want to kill Wrex, but he would if he had to, to protect Kate.

Wrex noticeably stiffened when he saw Beckett approach him. She could see that he was both troubled by the recent turn of events and angered by the way Kirrahe had brushed him off and talked about him _and_ his people as if the eight foot tall Krogan wasn't standing right there. Seemingly dismissing the krogan as nothing more than tools to be used and discarded when they wore out their welcome. Wrex didn't seem to understand that this was _precisely_ the fate Saren had in store for them as well. She didn't know Captain Kirrahe well enough to know if that's what he meant, or if he was merely trying to reason with _her_ because he believed Wrex wouldn't listen to him no matter what he said.

Either or both could be true. Two thousand years of animosity had been at play between Kirrahe and Wrex right before her eyes. A gulf she was going to have to find a way to cross if this mission was going to be salvaged.

"This isn't right, Beckett," Wrex rumbled loudly, not caring who heard him. His shotgun still in hand, making both Castle and Beckett uneasy. "If there's really a cure for the genophage here... we can't destroy it."

"I'm not the enemy here, Wrex," Kate stated, trying to calm him, "Saren's the one we're after."

"Really?" Wrex asked rhetorically, "Saren discovered a cure for the genophage and you want to destroy it. Help me out here, the line between friend and foe is getting a little blurry from where I stand."

"Saren didn't find a cure for the genophage to _help_ your people," Kate countered, her own blood up, "he wants to use them as a weapon. If we let him, you won't be around to reap the benefits. None of us will."

"That's a chance we should be willing to take," Wrex shot back, his fingers twitching as he brought his shotgun up, sending Kate's hand to her pistol butt. "This is the fate of my entire species we're talking about! I've been loyal to you until now, even to the point of working with a turian, but if I'm gonna keep following you, I need to know it's for the right reasons."

"Wrex, these _krogan_ are not your people," Kate implored him, "They're tank bred, indoctrinated slaves, nothing more than tools. Is that what you want for the rest of your species?"

"No," Wrex rumbled before lowering his shotgun. "We were tools for the salarians _and_ the council once. To thank us for wiping out the rachni, they neutered us all. I doubt Saren would be nearly as generous."

Wrex stood still for a moment, before putting his shotgun away.

"All right, you've made your point," he rumbled darkly, "I still don't like it, but I guess I trust you enough to to follow your lead."

Kate smiled, glad she didn't have to kill Wrex. She'd grown to like him and so had Castle. Behind that angry facade was a being who longed deeply for the mantle of fatherhood the way only someone born with a _"sterility plague"_ could. He'd even _"adopted"_ Tali - after a fashion. After she had been released from the med bay, she'd spied him teaching the young quarian how to modify her shotgun so she could fire it one-handed. He'd even told Tali and Hastings stories of his exploits as a mercenary which she was certain Castle would have been jealous not to have heard.

She was sure he would deny saying it later but she'd also overheard him saying that - to his people - all offspring were a gift from the universe – even those of an otherwise annihilated enemy were spared and adopted into their clan - and it was _criminal_ that the quarians simply sent theirs out into the galaxy so poorly prepared for what dangers were out there. For a krogan, he was an old softie.

* * *

When she caught up with Kirrahe not long after her conversation with Wrex, she found him just as irritating, but on point as before.

"Thank you for speaking with the krogan..." he'd begun, but Kate cut him off.

"He has a _name_ ," Kate snapped. "it's Urdnot Wrex. You would do well to learn it."

"Of course, my apologies," Kirrahe replied, "but still, the assault on Saren's facility will be dangerous enough as it is, without having to check six in my own encampment."

"I assume that means you've come up with a plan?" Kate asked icily.

"Of sorts," Kirrahe replied, "I've spoken with my chief engineer. We can convert our ship's drive core into a twenty kiloton thermonuclear device. Crude, but effective."

"Nice," Wrex rumbled. "Drop that from orbit and Saren can kiss his turian ass goodbye."

Before anyone else could speak, he turned to Garrus, who had somewhat earned his grudging respect. "No offense."

"None taken," Garrus replied.

"Unfortunately the facility is much too well-fortified for that method of delivery with a clumsy device cobbled together from a modified drive core. We'll need to position the bomb at a precise location to maximize its effectiveness."

"Where do we need to take it?" Castle asked.

"To the far side of the facility," Kirrahe explained, "directly aligned with the primary heat exchanger for the station's reactor. Between the blast, the radiation and the subsequent magnetic pulse all of the test subjects, their computer core and any nearby off-site copies will be completely wiped clean."

"Your ship can drop it off," Kirrahe continued once the basic tenets of the plan began to set in, "but we'll need to infiltrate the base, pacify any ground forces and disable the anti-aircraft batteries beforehand."

"We don't have the numbers to hit them head on," Kate noted.

"Definitely not," Kirrahe agreed, "but I think we can work around that. I'm going to divide my men into three teams, hit the front of the facility. While we demonstrate at the front, you can hit their back ranks and slip into the facility to secure the location to place the bomb. My team will take out the AA tower to clear the way for the Normandy."

"It's a simple, but solid plan," Kate remarked, impressed by the simple audacity of it, "but your people are gonna get slaughtered."

"We're tougher than we look, Captain," Kirrahe replied, "but you're right. I don't expect many of my troopers to make it out alive. That makes what I am about to ask you even more difficult. I need one of your Marines to accompany me to help coordinate the teams."

"You need me to commit one of my people to your command?" Kate asked, almost shocked at the request.

"We are all soldiers by trade in the STG," He explained, "I have plenty of troopers, but not enough experienced officers to lead them. One of my best squad commanders was lost on a recon mission only a few days ago."

"Gunnery Chief Hastings!" Kate bellowed. "Front and center!"

"Sir, yes sir!" Hastings stated, after she snapped to attention and saluted.

"I am temporarily placing you under Captain Kirrahe's command. You'll be leading one of his squads and handling communications between us and the salarians. Grab your gear and report to Commander Rentola for assignment. Keep it simple, Hastings, I want you back at your post when this is over."

"Aye, aye Captain," Hastings snapped back, "Semper Fi!"

"Oooo Rah," Kate muttered to her retreating back, hoping she wasn't signing Hastings' death warrant.

"Thank you, Captain," Kirrahe stated, "I will have the ordinance loaded onto the Normandy and brief your Lt. Alenko on its detonation sequencing. Do you have any questions?"

"How will your teams escape the blast?" Kate asked.

"We will engage the geth and attempt to keep them occupied as long as possible," Kirrahe replied, "Once the bomb is in place and activated, we'll fall back and rendezvous at our ship. On emergency batteries, it won't have enough power to lift off, but plenty to power up the barriers. The hull is hardened enough to handle the radiation fallout, so we should be able to escape with acceptable losses. If not, then our memories will live on as martyrs to a greater cause."

"You're talking like this is a suicide mission," Kate noted.

"I won't lie to you, Captain, there's a chance that none of us will survive this assault, including your team," Kirrahe noted. "But as soldiers we do what is necessary, including sacrifice our lives. Good luck Captain, I hope that we will meet again when this is over."

* * *

After Kate, Wrex, Castle and Garrus reached the stepping-off point for their infiltration of Saren's base and radioed in, the mission kicked off. Resistance was light as most of their attention was drawn to the front of the facility. From the comms it was clear that all three of the salarian teams were fully involved, but holding up well under fire.

They were supposed to avoid detection and slip quietly into the base, but no plan survives first contact with the enemy and Kate's conscience wouldn't allow her allies to be left flapping in the breeze if she could do something about it. During their incursion into the geth/krogan back ranks, they attacked and destroyed the hub of their communications network, scrambled their targeting by hitting a satellite networking antenna complex and cut off geth air support by destroying the refueling depot for their drones.

Wrex seemed to enjoy the fighting. He hated the idea of sneaking around and relished every opportunity to throw himself at the enemy - especially the tank-bred krogan. It particularly enraged him to see their relative lack of effectiveness under indoctrination and couldn't decide if killing them was an act of mercy, or a favor to the universe.

Once they'd reached the rear entrance of the facility, they cleared out a security substation and Garrus hacked into its operations console.

"I've got access to base security, Captain," He stated tersely. "I should be able to disable all security alarms from here to the target zone. I might even be able to trigger false alarms on the other side of the facility. It would clear out the guards for us."

"It might also overwhelm the salarian teams." Castle noted, to which Garrus nodded tersely.

"Just disable the alarms, Garrus," Kate ordered, "we can handle any guards we run into."

"I like your attitude," Wrex rumbled, chuckling as he switched out the heat sinks in his rifle and shotgun."

The guards inside that portion of the facility were inexplicably supplemented by a squad of salarians, likely some of the men Kirrahe had lost. Their tactics were poorly coordinated and they were rather easily dispatched – which Wrex seemed to enjoy doing just a little too much.

* * *

When they reached the stairs to the next level – which was curiously not guarded – they found a series of cells. Most were occupied by salarians who were barely there anymore, drooling and babbling incoherently. All but one, who tapped on the glass to get their attention the moment he saw them.

"You're not a geth..." he began, "and you aren't wearing a lab coat, so I guess I'm glad to see you. Lt Ganto Imness, Third Infiltration Regiment, STG. Captured during recon. I assume Captain Kirrahe was able to call in the fleet he wanted to destroy the base?"

"I'm afraid there's no fleet," Kate replied, "his transmission was little more than static."

"I see," Lt. Imness replied, "you must be the infiltration team, then. I've served with the Captain for years and I know how he works. Fleet or not, he'd want this facility destroyed."

Lt. Imness couldn't repress his shudder of revulsion as he nodded toward the cell next to his, holding five salarians shuffling mindlessly within its confines, moaning and grunting incoherently when they inevitably bumped into each other.

"Captain Kirrahe knew about the breeding facility, but this place is far more horrifying than even a _legion_ of krogan clones. My team was captured three days ago. I was left in here to... watch... as my men were altered... experimented on. They took the last of my squad, Private Avot out of here yesterday and I imagine - once I no longer serve a purpose as their control group - it's only a matter of time before they come for me too. I watched good soldiers, men I trained and served with, reduced to mindless husks. There was nothing left. Those who were... euthanized and dissected early in the process were the lucky ones."

"Were you able to overhear anything about the experiments they were conducting?" Castle asked him.

"Yes," Imness replied readily. "They were studying something called _"indoctrination."_ It's symptoms, progression, and cumulative effects on organic beings. Saren uses it to control his people, but I don't think he fully understands it. I don't know much else, only what it did to my men. I can't end up like that. Please... let me out."

"Okay, I'll open your cell door, but after that you're on your own. There's a weapons locker around the corner. Your people will be mustering at your ship to wait for evac."

"Don't look back, fight my way out and hope to survive, hmm?" Imness replied as the isolation cell door slid open. "Better odds than I had before you showed up. Thank you, human, if I see you again, I owe you one of your expensive intoxicating beverages. Good luck to you, you're going to need it."

"Everybody dies, salarian," Wrex rumbled at Imness. "Better to die standing up."

No sooner had Lt. Imness turned and fled back down the corridor from which they'd come, Castle, Beckett and Garrus turned around to find Wrex staring through the glass door into the cell with the lobotomized salarians and were perplexed by the one thing they would never have imagined Wrex to be feeling for a salarian. Compassion, or at least pity.

"Dammit, as much as I hate salarians, this is no way to treat a prisoner." Wrex grumbled. "Kill them, sure, but to leave them like this... its just not right."

"If this is what Saren has in mind, for his krogan army," Kate replied softly. "I think I'd rather be dead."

"I've never agreed with you more, Beckett," Wrex rumbled, as he keyed open the door and drew his pistol. "It's what I'd want if that were me in there."

Kate nodded, then turned away as Wrex stepped into the room and shot each of them in the back of the head, the only mercy he could offer them before they turned and continued on their way.

* * *

At the end of the corridor, they reached an elevator and took it to the next floor up. Once there they had to dispatch a small contingent of geth, which they easily swept aside, though it was unclear whether the geth were there to keep intruders out, or to keep the small office's single occupant in.

"Don't shoot!" a disembodied female voice said from under the single desk in the room, "I'm not armed! Please, I just want to get out of here before it's too late!"

They heard some rustling and then an asari rose from behind the desk with her hands in the air.

"Rana Thanoptis, Neurospecialist. I was brought here to study how indoctrination effects organic minds, at least that's what I was told when I arrived. I'm not sure what he's really after, but this damn job isn't worth dying for... or worse."

"You're helping him and you don't even know why?" Kate asked incredulously.

"I wasn't exactly given the _option_ to decline this job," Rana snarked, "When a Spectre shows up at your door and says _'come with me if you want to live,'_ that doesn't really leave you a lot of room for negotiation!"

"What exactly were you studying here?" Kate asked sharply, in full interrogation mode.

"It's that ship, Sovereign." Rana replied. "It emits a signal. It's undetectable, but it's there, I've seen its effects first-hand. Saren uses it to influence and control his followers."

"We know that much," Kate interrupted, "it's called indoctrination."

"Direct exposure turns people into mindless slaves, like the salarian test subjects," Rana continued, "but there's collateral damage, too."

"Collateral damage?" Castle and Beckett reply at the same time.

"Sovereign's signal is too strong," Rana continued, unfazed by the Castle/Beckett mind meld. "I'm not even sure if _signal's_ the right word. It's more like an energy field emanating from the ship that alters thought patterns. Spend too much time in close proximity with the thing and you begin to feel it, like a tingle at the back of your skull... a whisper you can't quite hear... you're compelled to do things, but you don't know why – you just obey."

"But, it's a degenerative condition. There's a balance between control and usefulness. The less freedom a subject maintains, the less capable it becomes. After prolonged exposure, people simply stop thinking for themselves entirely. It happens to everyone here eventually. My first test subject after I arrived... was the human I replaced. I just want to get out of here before it happens to me!"

"Why would Saren be researching indoctrination if he's the one who controls it?" Castle asked.

"The signal comes from the ship, but I don't think he controls it," Rana replied. "Indoctrination is subtle. By the time it's effects become noticeable, it's usually too late. I think he's worried that it might be effecting him too."

"You conducted brutal experiments on helpless test subjects, turning them into mindless zombies," Kate hissed angrily, "why the hell should I let you just walk away?"

"I only did what I was told!" Rana begged, "I wasn't given a choice! I'm sorry!"

Rana tossed a key card onto her desk and backed toward the door next to it leading deeper into the office and keyed it to unlock and open.

"See?" Rana pleaded, her voice becoming increasingly jittery as she unlocked and opened the elevator inside. "I can get you in... full access! All of Saren's private files! Are we good? Can I go?"

"I'm gonna blow this whole facility straight to hell," Kate stated coldly, "If you want to make it out of here alive... start running!"

"What?" the Rana stuttered, her purple skin paling nearly to lilac as Kate's words set in and she began to panic.. "You can't... but I'll never... Ahhhhhhhh!"

Rana scrambled to flee the room as Castle looked at Beckett, his lips quirked in an evil grin.

"You enjoyed that just a little too much, Captain."

* * *

Putting all thoughts of Rana Thanoptis behind her, Kate led the rest of her team to the elevator, which the key card Rana had supplied unlocked and activated easily enough – though none of them felt particularly comfortable during the ride up in it.

Unsurprisingly - given Montgomery's assessment of Saren's ego – his office was a massive two-story affair complete with windows giving him a sweeping view of the complex and the lush vista of the garden world his facility inhabited like a blight on the face of Eden.

"Beckett!" Castle shouted, his features twisted between excitement and dread. "Over here! Another beacon like the one on Eden Prime!"

Before Kate could move to stoop him, Castle stepped forward into the security field of the beacon and keyed it's activation sequence. He was almost immediately enveloped in the green glow of the device's interface field and lifted off the ground.

The experience was much less jarring this time around – unlike his experience with the Eden Prime beacon and Shiala's equally traumatic transfer of the cipher – now that he had the necessary frames of reference to interpret the data and his brain was configured properly to receive it.

There was no jarring disconnect, such as there had been with the previous beacon, the complete message neatly dropped in the pieces of the puzzle that had been missing before. There were still portions he didn't quite understand - images of a world he had no name for orbiting a star he had never seen – among other pieces of information he still had no frame of reference for. Both Shiala and Liara had told him that might change once the cipher was fully incorporated into his consciousness.

Unlike the first time, the beacon didn't explode and instead set him gently back onto the deck relatively unaffected. He shook off the few lingering effects of accessing the beacon just as Kate stalked up to him.

"What the hell were you thinking, Castle!" she hissed at him. "don't ever scare me like that again! I can't lose you too!"

The two of them stared at each other for several minutes as both of them realized the implications of what Kate had just said. It looked like they were about to move closer when they were interrupted by Garrus up on the second level.

"I found something up here I think you need to see, Captain," Garrus said.

When they moved up the ramp to the second level of Saren's office, they were met by a digital framework rendering of his warship seen as if standing on the four fingered talon-like "legs".

"You are not Saren" A dark, ominous sounding mechanical voice stated.

"I get the feeling something bad is about to happen," Wrex rumbled.

"What is that, some sort of VI interface?" Castle asked.

"Rudimentary creatures of blood and flesh," The cold synthetic voice stated. "You touch my mind, fumbling in ignorance, incapable of understanding."

"I don't think this is a VI..." Castle and Beckett said in complete sync.

"There is a realm of existence so far beyond your own, you cannot possibly imagine it. I am beyond your comprehension. I am Nazara."

"This thing isn't just a ship Saren found, it's an actual reaper!" Castle whispered in near awe.

"Reaper?" Nazara stated with a hint of cold, unfeeling contempt. "A label created by the Protheans to give voice to their annihilation. In the end, what they chose to call us is irrelevant. We simply... _are_."

"The Protheans vanished fifty thousand years ago!" Kate choked, the sudden knowledge that the reapers were real after all - and a genuine threat - shocked her to the core. "You... you... _couldn't_ have been there. It's _impossible_!"

"Organic life is nothing more than a genetic mutation, an accident," Nazara stated. "Your lives are measured in years and decades. You wither and die. We are eternal, the pinnacle of synthetic evolution and existence. Before us, you are nothing. We are the end of everything, your extinction is inevitable."

"Whatever your plan is, it's gonna fail. I'll make sure of it." Kate stated defiantly.

"Confidence born of ignorance," Nazara replied. "The cycle cannot be broken."

"Cycle? What cycle?" Castle and Beckett stated again in perfect sync.

"The pattern has been repeated more times than you can fathom," Nazara explained without any trace of remorse, pity, or empathy. "Organic civilizations rise, evolve, advance and at the apex of their existence, they are extinguished. The Protheans were not the first to be harvested. They did not build the Citadel, nor did they forge the mass relays. They merely found them, the legacy of my kind."

"Why would you construct the mass relays and just leave them for someone else to find?" Castle asked.

"Your civilization's advancement – as in every cycle before you - is based upon the technology of the mass relays. Our technology. By using it, organic societies develops along the paths we desire. We impose order on the chaos of organic evolution. You _exist_ because we allow it and you will _end_ , because we demand it."

"They're harvesting us!" Garrus choked out. "Letting us advance to the level they need, then wiping us out!"

"What do you want from us?" Kate asked.

"Slaves?" Castle asked.

"Resources?" the two of them asked together.

"We transcend your understanding." Nazara stated coldly, "We are each a nation. Independent. Free of all weakness."

"Where did you come from?" Kate asked.

"Who built you?" Castle asked at the same time.

"We have no beginning. We have no end. We are infinite. Millions of years after your civilization has been harvested and supplanted by another, we shall endure."

"Where are the rest of the reapers?" Kate asked. "Are you the last of your kind?"

"We are legion." Nazara replied. "The time of our return is coming. Our numbers will darken the skies of every civilized world. You cannot escape your doom."

"You're not even alive, not really." Kate stated defiantly, "You're just a machine and machines can be broken."

"Your words are as empty as your future." Nazara countered without inflection, like an ancient, emotionless oracle pronouncing their doom. "I am the vanguard of your destruction. This exchange is over. End of line."

Nazara's holographic interface exploded, blowing out the windows behind it, ending their exchange.

"Captain," XO Pressly stated over the comms, "we've got trouble."

"Lay it on me, Pressly, I love bad news," Beckett replied.

"That ship, Sovereign?" Pressly asked rhetorically. "I don't know what you did down there, but that thing just pulled a hard one-eighty in a gravity well that would shear even the Normandy in half. It's coming this way quick and in a hurry. You might want to wrap things up down there... fast!"

"This console's been disabled," Garrus reported. "Orders, Captain?"

"We head for the breeding facility," Beckett stated with cold finality. "Time to blow this place to hell."

"Acknowledged, Captain," Pressly stated. "We'll be on station to pick you up as soon as the AA guns are out of action."

As they moved back toward the elevator to return to the mission, Garrus nudged Wrex.

"Do you think they practice this stuff when we're not around?"

Wrex shrugged his massive shoulders and they continued back toward the elevator.

* * *

 **Ten Minutes Later**

"Captain," Pressly cut in again, "the salarians were able to shut down the AA battery. We're secure and aweigh, moving to the target location now. Mr. Ryan will set us down as close as he can. ETA three minutes."

"Understood, Normandy," Beckett replied, "en-route to your location."

" _The geth are turning from your position Jaeto,"_ Kate heard Captain Kirrahe over the comms. _"Looks like Shadow kicked a sensitive spot. Mannovi, take up a position on the AA tower and keep them pinned down while Shadow team completes the objective. Hold them as long as you can, then get to your exfiltration point."_

"Aeghor six, this is Shadow six," Kate stated over the comms, "Good work with the AA tower, now it's our turn."

Kate stepped out into the empty causeway that drew water into the base for the coolant system of the facility's main reactor three sub-levels directly below her feet. She looked to the very spot where the water was funneled to – where the salarian's ad-hoc nuclear device would be planted for maximum effect. In the next instant she heard the whining drone of the Normandy's landing thrusters before the ship made the final turn and began to descend, her landing gear extending just before she came to rest in the shallow water and her cargo ramp swung down.

A reinforced squad of marines in full combat gear filed down and began taking up positions in the viaduct followed shortly thereafter by Lt. Kaiden Alenko and two engineers pushing an anti-gravity sled carrying the nuclear device that would be used to destroy the base.

The three of them placed the device in the precise location necessary to use the base's own reactor to quadruple it's effective yield. Obliterating the base was their top priority for this operation. Saren must be denied an unending supply of Krogan cannon fodder at all costs. When the three of them were finished moving the bomb into position, the two engineers walked crisply back up the ramp onto the ship and Lt. Alenko walked up to Kate and saluted.

"The bomb is in position and secured to the base of the water cooling system, Captain," Kaiden reported. "All I have to do is start the clock and fifteen minutes later this place will be a smoldering crater under a mushroom cloud."

Kate nodded as the Normandy lifted off from the viaduct to begin orbiting the facility. On the ground she was far to vulnerable to enemy fire. When she had moved clear, she returned her attention to the Lieutenant.

"Understood, Mr. Alenko," she replied, saluting back crisply.

"Mannovi to Aegohr, do you copy, over?" Came Hastings' shaky voice over the comms.

"Mannovi, this is Shadow six, nuke is in position," Kate called out over the comms, "break contact and get to your rendezvous coordinates for pickup, on the double!"

"Negative, Shadow six," Hastings replied, the sounds of small and heavy weapons fire nearly drowning her out, "geth units have us pinned down... taking heavy fire, half my squad is gone. We won't make the rendezvous point in time."

"Stand fast Marine," Kate commanded, "help is on the way."

"Negative, Shadow six," Hastings stated, "finish the mission, we'll hold... as long as we can."

Kate turned to the others, "Castle, Wrex, Garrus with me, everybody else hunker down here and wait for extraction. Keep that nuke safe, Alenko."

With that, Kate and her squad turned for the doors leading to the AA tower, not willing to leave Hastings and her salarian squad behind. It wasn't in her nature.

* * *

They had to fight their way through both geth and recently gestated and flash trained tank-bred krogan, which only slowed them down by a small measure. Between Wrex's battle rage, and the other's superior training, they burned through the troops sent at them.

No sooner had they reached the elevator to the tower that bad news came in the form of a geth troop ship screaming overhead moving back toward where they'd come from.

"Geth are sending in reinforcements," Wrex rumbled. It didn't look good.

"Alenko, we just spotted a troop ship inbound to your location," Kate reported over the comms.

" _It's already here,"_ Alenko replied, _"It's dropping geth troopers and walkers all over the damn bomb site. The walkers are taking up flanking positions with heavy weapons. There's too many. I don't think we can hold them. I'm activating the nuke."_

"What the hell are you doing, Alenko?" Kate asked over the comms.

" _Making sure the nuke goes off, no matter what,"_ Alenko stated calmly as if he had accepted his fate, _"One of the walkers is a Colossus, Normandy will get creamed if she tries to land here to pick us up, go get Mannovi squad and get the hell out of here, sir."_

Kate closed her eyes, knowing that no matter what she chose, people were going to die. There was no magical third option.

"Mannovi, radio the Normandy for dust-off at your location," she stated more calmly than she felt.

"Aye, Captain. I..." Hastings began but was cut off.

" _It's the only choice Captain,"_ Alenko interrupted, _"the mission comes first and the living go before the dead."_

"Give em hell, Lieutenant," Kate stated sadly.

" _Aye, Aye, Captain, Semper Fi!"_ Lt. Alenko replied. " _Left flank! Left flank! Suppressing fire! Suppre..."_

The last words anyone would ever hear from Lt. Kaiden Alenko were interrupted by a burst of static as the comms cut out.

* * *

Castle, Beckett Wrex and Garrus burst dynamically out of the elevator onto the upper deck of the AA tower, wreaking havoc with the remaining geth and krogan troopers as they hit their back ranks. All four of them pouring out their pain at having to leave good men to die into the adversary before them. The enemy offered no quarter and were given none right back.

The fight didn't take long.

No sooner had the shooting stopped and Castle had bent down to check on Hastings, a hover sled popped up over the edge of the tower bearing a single turian on it... Saren! Rising behind him was the same geth drop-ship which had dropped troops into the bomb site, spilling geth onto the platform.

Saren went on the offensive as hie geth deployed, forcing Kate's team back with multiple warp pulse attacks and making them dive for cover. Saren dropped from the sled and approached, flanked by geth troopers.

Kate fired at him, hitting center mass squarely on his barriers with three well aimed shots, which bounced off and ricocheted harmlessly away from him. Saren just stood there, even waving his geth off as Kate took cover behind a support column.

"I applaud you, Captain Beckett," Saren stated without rancor, "My geth were utterly convinced that the salarians were the real threat. An impressive diversion. Of course it was all for nothing. I cannot allow you to disrupt my operations here. You cannot possibly comprehend what I am trying to accomplish"

"It's not that complicated," Kate shouted back, "You'll do anything to grab power, even join forces with that... thing!"

"You've spoken with Sovereign, your Chief Castle has experienced the Prothean vision," Saren replied without a hint of condescension. "The two of you - of all people - should be able to understand what the Reapers are capable of. Resistance is futile, the Protheans fought back and were utterly annihilated. Trillions dead, but what if they had surrendered? Is submission not preferable to extinction?"

"I'd rather die on my feet," Kate spat back at him with contempt, "than live on my knees, serving those damned machines!"

"If we work with the Reapers," Saren continued, unfazed. "If we make ourselves... useful, think of how many lives could be spared! Once I understood this, I joined Sovereign."

"Nazara is using you," Kate shouted, "it's influencing you, controlling your thoughts!"

"I've... studied indoctrination here," Saren replied, as much trying to convince himself than Kate, "The more control Sovereign exerts, the less effective the subject becomes. Sovereign needs me to find the conduit, so my mind is still my own for now.

"Tell me why it needs the Conduit so badly," Kate shouted, "What is it? Maybe we can find a way to stop the Reapers!"

"The Conduit is the key to your destruction and my salvation," Saren asserted. "Sovereign needs my help to find it! That's the only reason I have not been indoctrinated!"

"I'm not a coward like you!" Kate shouted defiantly, "I refuse to live as a slave!"

"I'm not doing this for myself!" Saren exclaimed, "Don't you see? Sovereign _will_ succeed, it is inevitable. I am forging an alliance between us and the Reapers, between organics and machines! By doing so, I will save more lives than have ever existed! You would undo my work, doom our entire civilization to annihilation. For that, you must die!"

"NO!" Castle shouted, just before his biotics flared and he charged headlong into Saren, slamming him backward, destroying the rifle in Saren's hands but otherwise doing little damage. Saren shoved Castle back forcefully, sending him sprawling ten feet away. He dropped the useless weapon and advanced on Kate, who barely had time to set herself before the large Turian was on her.

Saren batted aside her punches and kicks then slowly, methodically began taking her apart. First with a punch to the sternum that despite her body armor drove the air from her lungs, followed by another punch to her stomach, then an elbow smash to the solar plexus to drive her face down into the deck.

He reached down, hauled Kate up by the neck, then lifted her until her feet flailed in the air. Kate struggled and kicked, but was unable to break the iron grip he had around her neck as he began choking the life out of her.

Just as Kate's vision began to gray out and her struggling began to weaken, Saren was distracted by a sudden alarm klaxon. Before he could turn back to his task, the heel of Castle's hand was driven into the side of his head, rocking him enough that he had to drop Kate spluttering and coughing to the deck to meet the new threat.

Castle came at him again with a solid left hook, trading biotics for the more down to earth, practical violence of Marine hand-to-hand. Saren drove Castle back with a series of blows, but he stood fast, unwilling to let the larger Turian get past him to harm Kate, his captain... the woman he loved. The nuclear ordinance detection alarm went off again, so Saren retreated to his hover-sled and fled.

By the time Kate began to rise to her knees with her pistol up, Saren was already moving off as the Normandy swung around, to evacuate them under fire. Castle helped her up, they fell back to help get Hastings and her squad aboard and the ramp swung closed.

Back at the bomb site, Alenko was the last organic still alive, but determined to keep the geth away from the bomb. He fired like a man possessed, a demon of vengeance with fangs out, his M8 Avenger assault rifle speaking death to any geth he saw in three round bursts.

"Let's go! Let's go!" Alenko shouted angrily. "Fuck you!" he bellowed as he fired a burst into one geth trooper's flashlight head, then spotted another lunging at him and wheeled around to fire again. "You want some of this, well fuck you too!"

The last thing Kaiden Alenko saw, before the round from a geth trooper took him down was the timer on the nuke.

 _3...2...1..._

* * *

The Normandy had barely broken orbit when the nuke went up, it's own detonation dwarfed by the secondary explosion as the facility's own antimatter reactor went critical, bathing nearly the entire hemisphere in blinding white light. Taking Lieutenant Kaiden Alenko and a full squad of marines with it.

Nearly every cabin and corridor of the Normandy went silent. As if the ship herself stood in quiet mourning for eleven of her own in the line of duty. There were no words for that moment, nothing that could be said. There would be later, along with folded flags and a volley of rifle fire. Video letters to their loved ones for each of them from their CO along with words of condolence from Alliance Fleet Admiral Hackett on behalf of a grateful government. But in that moment, there was nothing but the whispered thrumming of the Tantalus drive core vibrating the deck-plates.

Mute testimony for the sacrifice of eleven Marines whose lives had been violently cut short.

The silence aboard was only broken by Kate's whispered order to retrieve the remaining salarians from their ship on the surface. Even Master Chief Richard Castle – whom the rest of the galaxy knew as best-selling author Richard Rodgers – could find no words equal to that moment. So he did the one thing he could do, he bowed his head and stood his post. SSV Normandy would carry on and take the fight to the enemy.

The group solemnly filed into the comm room for debriefing. Even Wrex seemed to realize the somber tenor and kept silent. It took a few moments before even Liara found the courage to speak, which she did without preamble.

"Captain, I am told there was another beacon, like the one on Eden Prime," she said, for once avoiding the social cue missteps she had made earlier, "Garrus informed me that Mr. Castle accessed it."

When Kate nodded, too strung out for even jealousy to rare it's head, Liara continued.

"It may have filled in the missing pieces from the Prothean message. I might be able to help him parse the last of the data. Perhaps we might be able to salvage _something_ from this disaster."

At Kate's baleful expression, Castle rose from his seat.

"I'm willing to try, Captain," he whispered, "too may lives were lost on this one. I can't let it be for nothing... not if I can do something about it."

Kate indicated for Liara to proceed.

"Relax, Richard," Liara whispered quietly just before her eyes went black, "concentrate on the message from the beacon, open yourself to the universe... **Embrace eternity**!

* * *

 _Just as it had before, the vision from the beacon filled his mind as his consciousness merged with Liara's. The once disjointed images and voices now coalesced into a more organized, coherent, unbroken narrative of the Prothean annihilation by the Reapers, which was soon followed by a series of images and voices, saying they were going to use the conduit to effect the outcome of "this cycle or the next." Telling them to come to a set of coordinates a planet he didn't recognize orbiting a star he had never seen, but he could feel the recognition coming from Liara's end of the joining._

 _Ilos... the vision was telling them to go to Ilos!"_

* * *

Shortly after Liara broke the connection, Castle could see Kate's arched eyebrow, neatly set off by the knot of her crinkled forehead as she glared at Liara, something he wasn't sure the young asari grasped the significance of. He thought it was cute... at least as long as the anger behind it wasn't directed at him.

"Did the vision make any more sense to you?" Kate asked, her patience clearly running short.

"There were clearly two messages in the vision, Liara began, "The first wass clearly a distress call, sent out across the Prothean Empire. A warning about the reapers that came too late."

"And the other one?" Kate asked. "What about the Conduit?"

"The second message was a little more vague, giving any Prothean who accessed the beacon network the coordinates to the second sender's location. Ilos, I recognize the images of the planet from my research! The Conduit is on Ilos! That is why Saren needed to find the Mu Relay, it's the only way to get there!"

"Why didn't you mention Ilos when we first heard about the Mu Relay?" Kate asked angrily.

"The Mu Relay links to dozens of systems and hundreds of worlds, Captain," Liara replied unsteadily. "Too many to be able to guess that Ilos was the one he wanted, and it would have taken years to search them all. Only when Castle had the cipher and the complete message from the beacons were the images clear enough for me to recognize them from my research as landmarks from Ilos.

"Then Ilos is where we need to be." Kate stated.

"Forget it," Esposito scoffed, "thanks to her mother, we know that the Mu Relay's deep inside the Terminus Systems, the most chaotic and lawless sector of the galaxy. Alliance ships aren't any more welcome there than Council ones. Your Spectre status won't mean shit either."

"The Conduit's on Ilos, Espo," Kate stated tersely, "That's where Saren's going and I want to be waiting for him when he gets there!"

"Saren will have an entire fleet of geth with him, Beckett," Esposito continued, he'd had just about enough of all the mystical Prothean mumbo jumbo that to him only existed in Castle's head. Crap he figured Kate only seemed interested in because she was infatuated with something the regs said she couldn't have, which blinded Espo to the dangerous territory he was crossing into. "They'll sweep us from the sky before we have a chance to make planet-fall."

"Lieutenant Esposito! That will be all!" Kate snapped at him, sending a ramrod up his spine. She'd never once had to resort to rank with him before and it shocked him back to reality. "We're done here, dismissed!"

"Beckett..." he tried again, but cut his plea short at the dangerous look in her eye.

"I said, _dismissed,_ Mr. Esposito," Kate repeated, and the room cleared quickly after that.

"We're in range of a comm buoy," Pressly stated over the intercom, "It's dodgy but I can send out the report from Virmire."

"They aren't going to believe any of this," Kate replied, "Not without proof. They'll think this whole thing is a hallucination from Castle's head. I can't put him through that."

"Understood, Captain," Pressly agreed, "Saren will park that dreadnought of his right on top of the Citadel before those idiots will listen."

"Stand ready to deactivate the IES system for an FTL jump back to Citadel Space. Let me know when we clear the border then transmit our report from a secure location."

"Aye Aye, Captain," Pressly acknowledged.

As soon as the FTL jump brought the Normandy back to Citadel space, the Virmire report was transmitted to the Council. Even Pressly was surprised at the swiftness of the response.

"Captain, I just got a response to the Virmire report," Pressly announced. "I have confirmation about those reinforcements you requested. Ambassador Bracken wants us to report back to the Citadel. The Council is massing a joint-species fleet to deal with Saren and the geth."

"Took them long enough," Kate whispered under her breath, then spoke up to give Pressly his orders, "Best speed to the nearest Mass Relay. I want the Normandy at the head of that fleet, mister!"

"Aye, Captain!" Pressly replied.

* * *

 _ **Happy Castlefanfic Monday all.**_


	14. Betrayal

**Chapter Fourteen  
Betrayal  
**

* * *

 _We can't afford to be innocent  
stand up and face the enemy.  
It's a do or die situation - we will be invincible.  
_Pat Benetar: "Invincible"

* * *

Less than four hours after receiving the message from Counselor Bracken, the Normandy slid like a blue and white ghost into docking port forty-seven at the Citadel's Presidium docking ring. Captain Beckett and Master Chief Castle took a private shuttle to the Citadel Tower and stepped up to the audience dais next to Bracken in front of the Citadel Council.

"Good work, Captain Beckett," Bracken pointed out while they waited for Council Tevos to bring the session to order. "Thanks to you, the Council is _finally_ taking real action against Saren."

"The Ambassador is correct," Asari Councilor Tevos added, "If Saren is foolish enough to attack the Citadel – as you believe – we will be ready for him."

"Reinforcements have arrived from Palaven to bolster the Citadel Fleet," Turian Ambassador Sparatus stated, "and patrols have been stationed at every mass relay linking Citadel Space to the Terminus Systems."

"How many ships have you allocated to secure Ilos?" Kate asked, hoping they hadn't forgotten the rest of her report about Saren's apparent destination.

"Ilos is only accessible via the Mu Relay, deep inside the Terminus Systems, Captain," Salarian Councilor Valern stated. "If we send a fleet there, the only possible outcome is full scale war."

"Now is the time for discretion, Captain," Bracken stage whispered to Kate. "Saren's greatest weapon was secrecy. Exposed, he is no longer a threat. This is over."

"Secrecy isn't his greatest weapon, the Conduit is!" Kate exclaimed.

"Saren is a master manipulator," Valern stated. "It was why he was selected as a Spectre. This _'Conduit'_ is just a feint. A distraction from his real plan to attack the Citadel."

Kate knew that - like most salarians - Valern's mind likely saw wheels within wheels within wheels, but this time, that mindset had drawn him to the wrong conclusion. It was clear to Kate that he was still suffering from the misconception that Saren was the one pulling the strings when she had direct experience that it was the Reaper – _Nazara_ \- calling the shots. Valern - hell all three of them and by extension it appeared, Ambassador Bracken - could not... would not see that Saren was just as much a pawn in all of this as the geth and all of Saren's other indoctrinated servants. She hadn't either until she had spoken to Nazara itself, had her nose rubbed in it and learned the true nature of the threat. Directly from the architect of the plot that predated the birth of everyone now standing in the Council chambers.

"One ship going into the Terminus Systems won't start a war, nor will it adversely effect the Citadel's defense," Kate offered. "At least let me reconnoiter the place, I can be discreet."

"You detonated a nuclear weapon on Virmire!" Sparatus spat at her, "I would hardly call that discreet!"

"That was Captain Kirrahe's plan and you damn well know it!" Castle spat back at the turian councilor. "If that breeding facility hadn't been destroyed, we'd be neck deep in Saren's krogan by now! Ask Kirrahe yourself, Valern... ask him!"

Tevos turned and gave Sparatus an arched eyebrow then returned her gaze to them.

"Your style served you well in the Traverse, Captain," She stated diplomatically, though still managing to come of as condescending in her superiority. "We all recognize that, but Ilos requires a more deft touch to avoid an interstellar incident. Once we have dealt with Saren we will send an STG team to investigate Ilos. Until then, we have the situation under control."

"Doesn't _anybody_ here get it? Kate argued loudly, glaring at first Tevos, then Bracken, " If Saren finds the Conduit, we're all screwed!" We _have_ to go to Ilos!"

"Ambassador Bracken," Sparatus noted, schooling his features, "I get the sense that Captain Beckett is not willing to let this go."

It suddenly became clear to Kate that this entire meeting had been maneuvered to Bracken's advantage. Something had been going on behind the scenes while she and her crew had been chasing the real threat. The man who had championed her entry into the Spectres and her hunt for Saren had turned and fed her to the wolves. There was something more to Bracken's maneuvering here. Something neither she nor Castle could see.

"You son of a bitch!" Kate hissed. "You're selling us out!"

"There are serious _political_ ramifications here, Beckett," Bracken scolded her as if she were an errant schoolgirl in the principal's office for a time-out. "Humanity's made great strides forward in the galactic community thanks to you, but now it's time for you to step aside. I've had Citadel control lock out all of Normandy's primary systems. Until further notice, you're grounded. It's nothing personal."

Only it was personal.

Castle saw it in Bracken's eyes, could sense it oozing from Bracken's pores in a way he had never seen before he'd been given the cipher. It was _very_ personal. There was something about the way Bracken looked at Kate - a mixture of resignation and fear - as if he was looking right through her and staring at a ghost on the other side. There was something about Kate holding nearly limitless authority that Bracken was afraid of, something from the past he didn't want her to find out about.

It made him curious what sequence of events - what story - inexorably bound Bracken to Kate. Clearly it was _not_ something she was aware of. Her anger's biological marker was very much on the surface, whereas something older and more poisonous had left its own biological marker on Bracken. Castle didn't understand how he could sense such things, he just could.

Bracken paused while Kate fumed, but not long enough for her to form a more coherent reply.

"I think it's time for you and your team to leave, Captain," Bracken ordered, "this no longer concerns you. You've done your job, now it's time to let me do mine. The Council and I will handle this."

"You may think you only stabbed _me_ in the back, _Ambassador_ ," Kate hissed, loud enough for only Bracken to hear, "but you may have just doomed us all."

As C-Sec officers escorted the two of them out, Castle grumbled, " _THAT_ , is why I hate politicians."

* * *

Kate Beckett sat in the mess hall of the Normandy exuding a dark cloud that kept nearly everyone away. She'd tried to make the damned espresso machine Castle had insisted upon requisitioning from the Saratoga function but she was too angry and wound up to get her hands to stop shaking.

She knew the real threat was out there, getting closer to Ilos by the minute, if he wasn't already there. The Galaxy was spiraling toward oblivion, Council wouldn't listen, couldn't spare her even a modicum of the trust they had once shown Saren – whose history as a Spectre was a _lot_ more bloody and violent than hers had ever been, given non-redacted version of his file. Even her own ambassador had turned on her to enhance his own political standing even as galactic civilization was circling the drain.

She was sorely tempted to give up. To say _"fuck it all"_ and let the whole goddamn galaxy burn if that's what that stuffed shirt Bracken and the Council wanted... when a cup of perfectly brewed coffee – skim latte with a hint of sugar free vanilla - appeared on the table in front of her with a heart drawn in the foam.

"You've done everything the Council asked you to do and more, Beckett," Castle offered softly, "While they sit on their asses, Saren's searching Ilos for the Conduit. As soon as he finds it, we're all dead."

"Say something reassuring," Kate whispered quietly. Her eyes pleading, even though her body language still exuded her role as Captain.

"We'll figure something out, Beckett, I promise," Castle offered. "You may not know this about me, but, if you want to sue them I have some _really_ good lawyers."

Her lips quirked up into an almost smile

"You'll be there to back me up if this gets dangerous?" she asked.

"Always."

Castle offered her a hand up from her seat at the mess hall table, which she accepted, though thrown just a little off balance when she rose to her feet too fast and ends up perilously close to him, their faces drawing inexorably closer... her lips and his just centimeters from touching...

"Sorry to interrupt, Captain," Ryan's voice stated over the intercom. "I just got a message on my private account from Captain Montgomery."

Both Castle and Beckett break apart, mortified. The spell – and the moment – suddenly broken.

"Are you spying on me, Mr. Ryan?" Kate grumbled with more than a little irritation.

"No, Captain," Ryan replied innocently, "just knew you were aboard."

"What's the message?" Kate sighed, feeling every bit like she had as a teenager during her wild child days whenever her father had caught her breaking curfew with a boy.

"He wants you to meet with him at Flux, that gambling club down in the wards, near the market district. Said to be circumspect about it... cut through the Presidium financial district instead the direct route. Sounds really cloak and dagger to me."

"Let's go, Castle," Kate stated, "I guess it couldn't hurt to take in the sights..."

* * *

As instructed, Castle, Beckett, Wrex and Tali took the scenic route through the Presidium access corridor to the wards. To make sure anyone who might be tailing them got a good show of them taking in the sights, they had stopped to take in the massive statue of a krogan not far from where they wanted to go. The massive block of stone it stood on bore a haptic display which slowly scrolled thousands of names. The krogan casualties of a war fought around the time of Christ on Earth. Wrex had been staring up at the statue ever since it caught his eye, so they decided to pause a moment for him to get a closer look to enhance their cover story.

" _Welcome to Presidium tourism terminal three,"_ Avina, the Citadel's VI tour guide droned. _"The statue you see before you was commissioned to honor the krogan soldiers who sacrificed their lives to protect Citadel Space during the Rachni Wars."_

" _Nearly twenty-two hundred years ago, explorers seeking to expand Citadel Space opened a mass relay leading to systems controlled by the rachni. A highly intelligent and aggressive insectoid race, the rachni unleased a war of conquest against the rest of the galaxy that lasted for nearly three centuries."_

" _The emergence of the krogan finally turned the tide of the war in favor of the Citadel Species. Krogan forces provided the numbers required to halt the rachni advance, drove them back and then pursued the retreating rachni fleets back to their home space. Able to survive the harsh environments of the rachni home-worlds, the krogan hunted the rachni to extinction."_

" _During the height of the Krogan Rebellions, nearly five centuries later, several embassies petitioned the Citadel Council to have the statue removed. This petition was eventually quashed by the Council."_

"Why would the council want to keep this statue so badly?" Wrex rumbled.

" _The krogan were instrumental in saving the galaxy from the rachni threat. The council believed this historical fact should not be forgotten. The council also hoped that preserving the memorial would improve diplomatic relations and bring about a peaceful resolution to the rebellions. Unfortunately, the krogan only surrendered after their population and home-worlds had been ravaged by the turian fleet."_

"This statue is a reminder of what my people used to be... before the damn genophage, Wrex rumbled to Tali. "Proud warriors with an honorable heritage and traditions. Now we're seen only as brutes, mercenaries, thugs and killers-for-hire. The krogan have forgotten who they once were. My people – myself included - have lived down to those expectations ever since. Only a few shamans have dedicated themselves to keeping the old ways alive."

Wrex bowed his head then turned away from the statue, the first krogan to have laid eyes on it in nearly a thousand years. Nobody knew it, but a fire burned deep within him to change the fate of his people before the void took him.

"Let's go," Wrex rumbled after a moment of contemplation, "we've wasted enough time."

* * *

When they finally reached the wards, and walked up the stairs into Flux, they saw that Captain Montgomery was waiting for them at a table.

"Bracken sold us out, the bastard," Kate began, "the Normandy's been grounded."

"I heard," Montgomery replied. "I tried to warn you before you docked, but I was locked out of interstellar comms and couldn't get a message out. Deliberately, I'd wager. I know you're pissed off, Beckett. They all think this is over and are liable to break their arms patting themselves on the back, but we all know it isn't."

"We need to get to Ilos," Kate said angrily. "But there's only _one_ ship that can get me through the Terminus Systems to the Mu Relay undetected – the Normandy – but she's been grounded."

"Citadel control has locked out all of Normandy's primary systems, but if we can override Bracken's orders, we can have her brought back on-line. You could be halfway to the Terminus before the Council even knows you're gone."

"If we steal the Normandy, Roy," Kate replied, "you'll be the one left holding the bag."

"If Saren finds the Conduit, life as we know it is over." Montgomery countered, "You're the only ones who can stop him, so I'll do whatever I have to do to get you off this station and back in the fight."

"We're talking about _mutiny_ , Roy," Kate said after a moment of contemplation. "What if the crew won't back my play?"

"The Normandy is _your_ ship now, Kate," You've shared this mission for nearly a year, suffered the same successes and losses. Your crew would follow you into hell and take the scenic route. We both know that."

Kate grudgingly nodded. Before Elysium, as a CID agent, she'd hunted down deserters and mutineers. It still pained her to become one, even though she knew the stakes made it necessary.

"What's the plan?" Castle asked, taking some of the pressure off of her.

"Ambassador Bracken issued the lock-down order," Montgomery began. "If I can access the computer in his office, I should be able to override it."

"Bracken won't let you just walk into his office and use his computer" Kate scoffed.

"Hopefully, for his sake, he won't be there," Montgomery added, "If he is, I'll just have to adapt and overcome."

"He won't let this slide, Captain," Kate cautioned. "He could charge you with treason for helping us. Be careful."

"Bracken made this personal when he threw you under the bus to male political points with the Council," Montgomery added darkly, "leave him to me."

"Okay, let's get this done," Kate replied, "Saren is in serious need of my boot in his ass."

I'll deal with the lock-down," Montgomery assured, "you get back to the Normandy, when you're ready send a coded message to me via omni-tool. That'll be my signal to step off."

* * *

After Kate and her merry band of misfits returned to the Normandy and she offloaded the Normandy's wounded from the Med-bay to the newly opened Huerta Memorial Hospital she sent the message _'Climb Mount Niitaka'_.

Five minutes later, Montgomery abandoned the coffee shop across the corridor from Embassy Row and made a bee-line for Bracken's office. It had been a long time since he'd felt like an N-7 operator instead of an aging pencil pusher, but Beckett had a date with destiny and he was going to make sure she wasn't late for it.

When he walked in the door, Bracken looked up from his paperwork. He'd rather expected Captain Beckett to come and plead her case to go to Ilos, but not her mentor. He had no idea, that nobody was going to be pleading for anything.

"Captain Montgomery?" Bracken asked gruffly, "What are you doing? If you've come to... OOF!"

Bracken was cut off when Montgomery's fist snaked out without warning, catching him in the jaw and knocking him unconscious, lolling him backward into his ergonomic chair. After checking his handiwork to make sure he hadn't accidentally killed the man, Montgomery turned to Bracken's haptic terminal, paged over to the lock-down order grounding the Normandy and copy-pasted Bracken's electronic signature to a new order he'd uploaded from his omni-tool, rescinding it.

* * *

At that same moment in Normandy's CIC, Beckett waited impatiently, her eyes glued to the message in red typeface _"primary systems locked out- Access denied"_

Suddenly the lighting shifted and the warning disappeared, replaced momentarily by a new message in green _"Access restored: Primary systems on-line."_

The security clamps locking the Normandy to the deck of Docking Bay 47 retracted causing a reverberation through the hull and deck plates.

"CIC, Engineering," Adams reported over the intercom, "Tantalus drive core on-line, full power restored."

"Go, Ryan!" Kate ordered, "hit it!"

Ryan's hands danced over the haptic controls and the Normandy backed quickly out of the docking bay, swung hard about and made full burn for the relay network.

"Alliance Frigate SSV Normandy, you have not been cleared for departure. State your course and destination." Citadel Space Traffic Control stated gruffly.

"Citadel Business," XO Pressly stated into the comm, "We have a Council Spectre aboard on a Top Secret scouting mission."

"Return to the docking bay, SSV Normandy..."

Before the traffic control officer could speak further, Pressly cut the comms.

"Boring conversation anyway," he muttered before turning from the comm board, "Captain, we're gonna have company!"

"SSV Okinawa is powering up," Hastings reported from her station, "with orders to pursue."

"Send my compliments to Captain Anderson," Kate commanded. "All ahead flank. Power up the IES system and stand ready to go to silent running."

Normandy's powerful engines accelerated to flank speed, sending her surging forward out of SSV Okinawa's visual range and the aging Thermopylae Class frigate fell steadily behind. The turian Space Traffic Control officer could swear he heard singing just before Normandy's heat signature disappeared from the sensors..

Everyone in the CIC turned to Chief Castle, who had used his omni-tool to broadcast the Russian National Anthem over the Citadel Fleet's guard channel until the IES system cut the comms to reduce their EM signature.

"Tell me you weren't at least thinking it?" Castle quipped sheepishly at Kate's eye-roll. Although unorthodox, his harmless practical joke had successfully lightened the mood.

* * *

Kate had ordered the shift change to the low watch after they had secured their transit through the beacon and set course for the Terminus Systems. They would make best speed for the border, then make an FTL jump to the Mu Relay from there after purging the heat sinks. It would be a tense night, but she had ordered her crew to get as much rest as possible. Buoyed only by the fact that even a dreadnought as powerful as Nazara would have to be careful not to draw attention to itself in the Terminus.

Castle sat on his bunk in the quarters he had once shared with Kaiden Alenko, staring at the empty space the man had occupied wondering if their mission would ask as much from him as if had from the lieutenant and weather he would be able to stand fast in the face of death like Kaiden had.

He was surprised at the gentle rap on the door. When he opened it, Beckett was on the other side and his his spine straightened almost immediately.

"Captain," he suggested, trying not to sound insubordinate, "shouldn't you be following your own orders?"

"Do I really have the right to _give_ orders anymore?" Kate asked softly, "I've gone AWOL, stolen the Normandy and turned my crew into a band of mutineers. How many of them will get killed because they trusted me enough to follow my lead?

"What do you want, Beckett?" he asked softly.

"You," Kate said, "I just want you."

Before Castle could form a coherent reply, Kate kissed him and everything else melted away. For one night all other things disappeared. Saren, Nazara, the geth, the Reapers were all set aside for the inevitable union of the two of them.

Whatever happened the following day, Richard and Katherine would have this one night.

Always.

* * *

 _ **** Author's Note** O**_ _ **n December 2, 1941, the coded message,**_ _ _ **Niitakayama Nobore**__ _ **("**_ _ _ **Climb Mount Niitaka**__ _ **"), was transmitted to Imperial Japanese Admiral Chūichi Nagumo's flagship. The Admiral then opened a set of top secret documents, which confirmed that Japan would soon be at war with the United States and in effect, served as the "go" order for the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7**_ _ **th**_ _ **. The day which shall live in infamy.**_

 _ **Never forget.**_


	15. Vigil In The Tombs Of Ilos

**Chapter Fifteen  
Vigil In The Tombs Of Ilos**

* * *

 _A warning to the people, the good and the evil: This is war.  
To the soldier, the civilian, the martyr, the victim: This is war.  
_30 Seconds To Mars: "This Is War"

* * *

 **Chief Castle's Quarters  
04:30 hours**

Richard Castle drifted awake to find Kate sitting at the foot of the bunk - dressed only in her uniform shirt - searching for her underwear. His first thought upon waking to note how absolutely sexy it was that under her squared away military uniform, she managed to wear relatively expensive black lace. Something he'd noted when he'd removed the scrap of lace from her the night before.

"Well now," He quipped with a naughty-boy grin, "that's a whole new spin for _on the floor and give me twenty_ "

Kate rolled her eyes, but laughed softly, the first genuine mirth she'd experienced since this whole thing began. "Would you scoff at me if I said this was the first time in months that everything felt right with the galaxy?"

"Oh Captain, my Captain," Castle started.

"Is my rank all you see when you look at me?" Kate asked.

"No, I see a strong, passionate woman, after all this time, I'm … I'm still amazed at the depth of your strength, your heart … and your hotness. A mystery I'm never going to solve."

Kate smiled and leaned closer to him, angling in for another kiss. Her lips no sooner brushed his, when the comm system announced itself.

"Captain, CIC," Pressly announced, "we are twenty minutes out from the Mu Relay."

"Understood, CIC," Kate replied, then cut off the comm and turned to give Rick a more solid kiss before reaching for her clothes. "Duty calls, Mr. Castle, I have other weapons to inspect this morning."

"See you in the CIC in twenty," Castle quipped as he rose, naked from the bunk and started for the small shower, one of the few amenities for sharing a bunk in officers country, "unless you'd prefer to conserve water?"

Kate didn't have to think very long about it as Castle added a bit more shimmy to his stride.

"Well, as Captain," she replied, letting the shirt slip off her shoulders, "I should try to set a good example as far as resource conservation is concerned."

* * *

 **SSV Normandy CIC  
Twenty-Five Minutes Later**

The Normandy slipped closer to the Mu Relay, shutting down the IES system and venting the heat sinks for transit through the relay as they went. By the time anyone would be able to react to the presence of an Alliance warship in the region, they would be long since through the relay and back in silent running. The massive relay station began to spin up its mass effect field as they linked into its network and within seconds the relay slingshot the vessel to its twin in the Pangaea Expanse.

Though Ilos had been an isolated outpost even before the Prothean extinction, the Refuge system and its surrounding star cluster had cut off from the rest of the galaxy for the majority of the past fifty thousand years - much to Liara T'Soni's chagrin. .

Occasionally, a university would organize an expedition to Ilos, but without the Mu Relay, any such expedition would have necessitated a long and arduous series of FTL jumps and multiple stops to discharge drive cores to get there. The long duration of such a trip on its own was enough of a complication, but the prospect of such an extensive trip through the heart of the pirate infested Terminus Systems would have made any such expedition both prohibitively expensive and dangerous enough to give even the most dedicated and adventurous of archaeologists pause.

Kate had been a little self conscious as she and Chief Castle entered the CIC at the same time. Their "shower" had gone a little longer than either of them had anticipated and they may have come out dirtier than when they'd started, but she hoped the _"I just got laid"_ expression she'd only barely managed to hide before stepping out into the CIC told him that she regretted nothing.

Castle joined Beckett in front of the galaxy map, but the visual representation of the system on the holographic display dominating the center of the CIC became juxtaposed in his mind with the Prothean vision of the planet Ilos and its surrounding star system in his mind's eye. The formerly lush garden world it had been at the height of the Prothean Empire was difficult to resolve in his mind with the rust-colored over-oxygenated planet dotted with decaying ruins from two civilizations on the main view screen.

Kate nodded at him, and was about to give the order to enter the system, when the passive sensor array began to wail for attention.

"Multiple signal contacts!" Hastings exclaimed from her station. "Bearing: two four zero! Range one hundred thousand kilometers!"

Hastings' hands flew across her haptic display, and she wasn't liking the information she found there. "Geth capital ship signatures confirmed, Captain, orbiting the second planet."

"Sound general quarters," Kate ordered, "engage the IES system and go to silent running."

"Geth drop ships on descent vector to the planet, Captain," Hastings reported, "pinpointing their landing zone now."

"Any sign we've been detected?" Kate asked.

"Zero aspect change on the geth ships, Captain," Hastings replied after studying her screens, "If they _have_ windows, nobody's looking. I'm reading strange power fluctuations on the surface at their projected L-Z though."

"Mr. Ryan, take us in fast and quiet," Kate ordered. "Lock onto those coordinates."

"Negative on that, Captain," Pressly stated, "nearest L-Z where we can set down and avoid detection is twenty clicks away."

"Find me something closer, Mr Pressly," Kate ordered.

"There is nothing closer, Captain," Pressly noted intensely, "I've looked!"

"Prep the Mako for drop." Kate offered.

"Captain, you'd need at least a hundred meters of open terrain to pull off a drop like that," Pressly pointed out, "the most I can find near Saren's location is twenty."

"I can do it," Ryan stated over the intercom.

"Ryan?" Kate asked, waiting for him to elaborate how he could do what XO Pressly stated wasn't possible.

"I can do it, Captain," Ryan continued, "trust me, I can trim the descent angle enough to get you in there, it'll task the Mako's brakes, but I can get it done."

"Castle, Vakarian, Wrex, T'Soni," Kate ordered after slapping the intercom, "report to the Mako and prep for pinpoint combat drop. Mr. Ryan drop us right on top of that bastard!"

"Aye, Aye, Captain," Ryan replied and began calculating his descent vector.

* * *

Shortly after Kate and her drop team were strapped into their seats in the Mako, Ryan assumed the con and the Normandy heeled over and dove for the surface of Ilos. The ship's descent vector locked on the ruins that Saren and his battalion of geth were currently filing into.

When the shriek of Normandy's engines became audible to his ears, Saren looked up he waved the bulk of his force of geth troopers, indoctrinated krogan and armature class walkers into the bunker he'd had his scout force open for them.

"Keep the column moving," he ordered the Krogan warlord who acted as his second, then turned to the nearest geth prime. "Take two squads and two of the armature units. Hold them out here while I secure the conduit. Have the units in the control center set up an ambush in case they get past you."

The prime nodded, issued a series of stuttering chirps and a group split off from the main column of Saren's attack force to set up defensive positions in the ruins. By the time the Mako was ejected from her launch cradle in Normandy's cargo bay, the doors to the bunker were already cycling closed.

* * *

It was a tight squeeze, but the Mako managed to drop cleanly into the ruins within sight of the closed doors to the main bunker of the long-abandoned Prothean complex. The breaking thrusters fired and the landing had strained the six heavy tires after they made contact and dug in, but the armored vehicle ground to a halt right on target as the Normandy screamed back upward, toward the blackness of space where the emission sinks could keep her hidden from the geth force tracking her. Ryan knew more than a few tricks to lose them once they cleared atmo.

"We have to get those doors open and get in there before Saren finds the Conduit." Kate stated, glaring at the doors.

"There's no way we're getting through those doors with brute force, Captain." Garrus pointed out.

"Saren found a way to open them," Kate stated, "and so can we."

While Garrus and Beckett went back and forth about the doors to the bunker and what their next move should be, nobody but Liara took notice as Castle had stepped a few paces away from the group, his eyes carefully scanning the length and breadth of the crumbling, lichen and vine encrusted courtyard.

Liara watched him carefully but did not interfere as his gaze swept one way then the next and turned back toward the center of the complex, orienting himself as if studying a map. She was completely unaware that in his mind's eye, Castle saw it's current state mixed with brief flashes of how the complex had appeared fifty thousand years before.

"This way," Castle stated with absolute certainty as he pointed to an archway leading toward the outer courtyard. "There's an elevator to a control center through here."

After a brief battle with the geth Saren had sent to hold them, they managed to find the elevator up to the remains of the control center. Once they'd pacified the minimal geth resistance inside, they filed up the ramp to the upper atrium and gathered around an active console, which Castle and Dr. T'Soni began to study with great interest.

"The system still has power," Liara noted, "it must be running off its own generator."

"This was the control center for the surface level of the complex," Castle stated, his mind's eye seeing things none of the others were privy to, his senses reacting to the distinct biological markers of the Protheans who had once worked there in a way he had never before experienced. "Saren's troops must have sealed the doors to the archive bunker from here after the bulk of his forces went inside to secure the Conduit."

Castle looked over the console, brushed away some of the grime the geth hadn't bothered with and the console began to boot back up.

"I think I've found something," he said before recorded voices from the past began to speak, though the few distinct words that could be heard in the degraded transmissions sounded like complete gibberish to anyone but him.

" _... too late..."_

" _... unable to..."_

" _... invading fleets..."_

" _... no escape..."_

"Sounds like a message," Garrus pointed out, "but I don't recognize the language."

"It's likely in Prothean," Liara added, her eyes wide with wonder at what she was hearing, "this recording must be fifty thousand years old! No wonder we can't understand it!"

"The message is broken up," Castle said, "but I can make out some of it. It sounds like reports about the reaper invasion."

"The cipher must have transferred an understanding of the Prothean language into his mind," Liara noted, completely missing Kate's arched eyebrow. "Incredible!"

" _... not safe... seek refuge... -side the archives..."_

" _... called Reapers..."_

" _...the Citadel... overwhelmed..._

" _...only hope..."_

The garbled, fragmented messages droned on for several minutes, then slowly petered out. Castle wondered what it must have been like to have sat in this room and watched as the distress calls rolled in fifty thousand years before. How it must have felt to witness the beginning of the end of their entire civilization. He was drawn from his contemplation of the emotions practically dripping off the walls around him as a different voice suddenly cut in.

" _... act of desperation..."_

" _... the Conduit..."_

" _... all is lost..."_

"What is it saying, Castle?" Kate asked. "Can you make out anything useful?"

"It said something about the Conduit," Castle replied, "but the message archives on this terminal are far too badly degraded to get anything useful. We should get moving before Saren gets to where he's going."

Kate nodded and as they filed out of the room, Castle was chilled to the bone as the last of the degraded messages echoed off the walls behind them.

" _... cannot be stopped... cannot be stopped..."_

* * *

When they returned to the Mako, the massive doors once again stood open, leading down into the lower reaches of the Prothean research archives where Saren had gone. Though the Turian ex-Spectre and the bulk of his force were on foot, they moved at the grinding pace of machines. He had a two hour head start and they would have to move quickly to make up that lost time.

"What do you say we take a ride into the creepy underground bunker?" Kate quipped, hoping to lighten the mood. Though everyone nodded in assent, there was little mirth to be had, especially since the most likely jester among them seemed to be mired in a deep sense of melancholy.

The further the Mako got into the confines of the Prothean complex, the more antsy the entire group became. None of them had envisioned such a large underground complex below what -at first glance- appeared to be nothing more than the remains of a remote archaeological dig site. It became increasingly clear to all of them -Wrex included- that there was more to Ilos than met the eye. Something the Protheans there had apparently wanted kept hidden, even from their own people.

"This is a big place," Wrex rumbled from his seat. "Considering how many geth Saren brought down here with him, I'd have thought he'd at least set an ambush, if only to slow us down."

"Depends on how deep inside he got when he found out," Garrus noted as the Mako continued to drive deeper inside, "or how badly he needs the bulk of his troops to secure what he finds."

As the Mako transferred from one ramp to another, they began to see clusters of coffin-like metallic pods set into the walls, thousands of them in neat, orderly rows, all of them dark.

"What are all of those containers we keep passing?" Kate asked, noting the glassy look in Castle's eyes.

"Stasis pods," he stated, staring ahead blankly. "The Protheans here tried to escape Reaper detection by going into hyper-sleep. But the very pods they depended upon to keep them alive slowly became their graves."

Kate couldn't help but turn and look at the somber tone of Castle's voice, the single tear coursing down his cheek an expression of sorrow for the thousands of lives cut short as they passed through the Prothean archives which now served as a graveyard for the last of the Prothean race.

Her attention was swiftly returned to the task at hand when a proximity alarm began to sound.

" _Warning,"_ The Mako's VI stated sharply. _"Kinetic barrier directly ahead."_

"What the hell!" Kate exclaimed as the emergency brakes automatically slammed on, skidding the Mako to a halt just in front of a Prothean barrier curtain.

"It's a trap!" Garrus barked from his seat at the controls of the Mako's heavy cannon. "Saren must have set an ambush for us after all!"

"Saren is not behind this," Castle noted, Liara nodding in assent, "that's one of the facility's automated defenses, like on Therum."

A door slid open to the right of the Mako as if in invitation, and Castle sensed no malice from the gesture.

"It looks like somebody wants to talk to us," he quipped. "It would be rude not to hear them out."

Kate nodded, and the squad, plus their asari civilian consultant exited the Mako and found the doorway led to an elevator, open and waiting for them. As soon as they stepped inside, the door slid shut and its descent began with a slight jerk, the mechanism clearly unused for millennia.

* * *

The elevator door slid open when the lift reached its destination, revealing what appeared to be a massive computer annex - much like the sort known to house the quantum _"blue box"_ for an AI. That appearance seemed to be verified when the terminal lit up and a badly degraded visual avatar gradually resolved in the center of the room.

"You are not Prothean, but you are not machines either," The AI stated in plain unaccented English, "This eventuality was one of many anticipated outcomes after my creators sent the warning through the beacon network. My scans do not indicate the taint of indoctrination in any of your central nervous systems - unlike the other who passed through recently - perhaps there is still hope for this cycle."

"What are you?" Kate asked impatiently. She could almost feel Saren getting farther away with every moment they tarried there.

"I was originally programmed to answer to the designation, Vigil. You are safe here, at least for the short term. I have calculated a statistically high probability that this will change in the near future. If the Reapers are not stopped soon, nowhere will be safe."

"Wait," Kate asked, "how come I can understand you? Why aren't you speaking Prothean?"

"An adaptive language algorithm was incorporated into my original design prior to being installed as this facility's operating system virtual interface," The AI replied. "I have been monitoring your communications since you entered this facility and gathered enough data to translate my output to a format you can comprehend."

"What are you?" Kate asked, relieved she would be able to communicate directly. "Are you some sort of artificial intelligence?"

"I was originally designed as an advanced, non-organic analysis system with personality imprints from Ksad Ishan, Chief Overseer of the Ilos Research Facility. Though I was not intended to be more than virtual presence, I achieved sentience precisely forty-five thousand five hundred years, six months thirty-six days and twenty-four point one two six hours ago."

"Why did you bring us here?" Castle and Beckett asked in near perfect unison.

"You must break a cycle that has repeated itself for millions of years," Vigil replied. "But to do so, you must understand the nature of the threat, or you will make the same mistakes my creators did. The Citadel is the seat of your government, as with the Protheans and every other civilization that came before them. But the Citadel is a trap. An enormous, powerful mass relay, linked to another in Dark Space – the empty void beyond the galaxy's horizon. When this relay is activated, the Reapers will pour through and galactic civilization as you know it will be destroyed."

"How do the Reapers survive in Dark Space?" Liara asked, unable to deny her curiosity.

"My creators had only theories," Vigil replied, "The prevailing one was that the Reapers enter a prolonged state of hibernation between cycles to conserve energy. This allows them to survive the thousands of years necessary for a new organic civilization to rise up from the ashes of the previous extinction. In this state, however, they would be vulnerable. By retreating beyond the edge of the galactic rim, they ensure that no one would accidentally discover them, keeping their existence hidden until the citadel relay is activated."

"How come nobody ever noticed that the Citadel was an inactive mass relay?" Kate asked.

"The reapers are careful to keep the greatest secrets of the Citadel hidden," Vigil replied, "To that end, they created a species of seemingly benign organic caretakers: the Keepers. They maintain the station's most basic functions and enable any species who discovers the Citadel to use it without understanding its technology. This ensures that no organic species will discover the Citadel's true nature until the relay is activated and the Reapers invade."

"The reapers can wipe out the Council and the entire Citadel fleet in single surprise attack!" Garrus exclaimed.

"That was the fate of my creators," Vigil acknowledged. "Their leaders were dead before they even knew they were under attack. The Reapers seized control of the Citadel and through it, the entire mass relay network. Interstellar communication and transportation were suddenly crippled. Every star system in the Empire was cut off from one another. Divided, the Prothean Empire was easy prey for the Reaper fleets."

"If the war was so futile," Kate asked, "why didn't you surrender?"

"No offer of surrender was given," Vigil replied. "The Reapers had a single goal – the annihilation of all advanced organic life. Through our records on the Citadel, they had access to all of their star charts, colony locations, census data, trade routes, even military fleet strength and dispensation. Information is power and the Reapers knew everything about them."

"The Reapers were relentless, brutally efficient and absolutely thorough. Some planets - like the Prothean home world - were reduced to burned out cinders. Others were conquered, indoctrinated, their populations turned into sleeper agents under Reaper control. Taken in as refugees by hidden Prothean enclaves, they betrayed their benefactors to the machines."

"Moving from star system to star system and world by world, they relentlessly advanced until all resistance had been crushed. Within four centuries, every Prothean world was under Reaper control and stripped bare by the indoctrinated slaves. Everything of value – all resources, all technology - was taken."

"Once they were certain that all advanced organic life had been extinguished and all evidence of their existence was wiped away, the Reapers retreated back through the Citadel Relay into Dark Space and sealed it behind them. Only the indoctrinated slaves were left behind. Mindless husks, no longer capable of independent thought, they quickly starved or died of exposure and the genocide of the Prothean species was complete."

"You said you brought me here for a reason," Kate admonished, "what exactly is it that I need to do?"

"Then as now, the Conduit was the key," Vigil stated. "Before the Reapers attacked, my creators were on the cusp of unlocking mass relay technology. Ilos was a top secret research facility. The researchers here had created a small-scale version of a mass relay which linked directly to the Citadel, the hub of the relay network."

"The Conduit isn't a weapon..." Kate began.

"... it's a back door onto the Citadel!" both she and Castle finished in perfect unison.

Liara was fascinated at how perfectly in sync Castle and Beckett were. She had actually been merged with Richard Castle's mind - had experienced his world through his eyes - yet could not boast such a connection, such complete synthesis with him as he seemed to share with the Captain. _"Certainly there is a dissertation there..."_ she thought to herself, _"...perhaps after a period of study..."_ But she shook off the errant thought and returned her focus to the task at hand.

"How did you stay hidden?" Liara asked instead.

"During the chaotic period shortly before the takeover of the Citadel," Vigil replied, "the few official records of this project had been purged from the Citadel's data banks. All personnel then retreated into the shielded archives and this facility went dark. To conserve resources and create the illusion this facility had been long abandoned, they entered cryogenic stasis. I was programmed to monitor the facility and the beacon network, then awaken the staff when the danger had passed."

"We passed thousands of dead pods on our way here," Castle asked, not certain he was going to like the answer, "what happened to them all?"

"The genocide of an entire species was a longer, slower process than my creators had calculated," Vigil stated, regretfully. "Years passed. Decades. Centuries. The Reapers persisted and this facility's energy reserves gradually became depleted. According to contingency programming added to my matrix by Ksad Ishan, I began to disable the life support systems of pods containing non-essential personnel. First the support staff, followed by security, then the civilians. One by one, stasis pods were shut down to conserve power. Eventually, only the stasis pods of the top scientists remained active and even these were dangerously close to failure by the time the Reapers retreated back through the Citadel Relay."

"When the researchers emerged from stasis, only a dozen individuals were left alive, too few to sustain a viable population and realized that the Prothean species was doomed. In spite of this - or perhaps because of it - they vowed to find a way to keep the Reapers from returning. Through a decade-long careful examination of all signal records to and from the Citadel in the weeks prior to the attack, they were able to find a carrier wave sent directly to the Keepers which they later confirmed had served as the key precipitating event."

"Buried in the carrier wave - which had been dismissed by Citadel maintenance as white noise emanating from the nebula surrounding the Citadel - was a root command ordering the Keepers to open the Citadel Relay. Once the scientists had completed their analysis, they used the Conduit to gain access to the Citadel and infected the keepers' central processing system with a virus that wiped out the recognition protocol for the root command, rendering the Keepers unable to recognize the order to open the relay. They have since evolved to respond only to the signals emanating from the Citadel itself, rendering them completely harmless."

"The final direct command from my creators was to monitor all communication frequencies for the Reaper carrier wave and the Citadel's response. When it was again broadcast - two thousand, one hundred and twenty-four point five eight of your years ago - the keepers ignored it, trapping the Reapers in Dark Space."

"What happened to the scientists?" Liara asked.

"The Conduit was a proof of concept prototype," Vigil replied, "and only links to the relay network in one direction. After accessing the Citadel and uploading the virus, it is unlikely that they were able to find sufficient food or water on the station. There is a high statistical probability that they met a slow, grim death."

"If the reapers are trapped in Dark Space, how did Nazara get here?" Kate asked, pointedly. She never in a million years thought she would be interrogating an AI, much less two of them in the span of a few days.

"It is logical to extrapolate," Vigil responded, "that the Reapers would leave one of their number behind after each extinction as a sentinel to pave the way for their eventual return. Like those in dark space, Nazara would have spent the intervening fifty thousand years in a state of hibernation. Periodically it would awaken to analyze the state of the galaxy and when circumstances warranted, send the signal to begin the next purge."

"But this time, when Nazara sent the signal to open the Citadel Relay, nothing happened. The Keepers did not respond and the Reaper sentinel was left with an anomaly its programming had not been designed to account for. Alone, it was forced investigate. During the first one hundred years after it first sent the order, I noted one thousand, two hundred and forty-seven additional broadcasts of the root command."

"Saren may be the most visible of Nazara's agents, but it is unlikely that he was the first. Nazara had likely been analyzing the problem for centuries before coming to the same conclusion my creators did. Once it had identified the cause of the failure, it likely began pursuing it's options to resume control of the situation, using generations of such agents as proxies over hundreds of years seeking a way to gain direct access to the Citadel and now it has found one."

"Saren will use the Conduit to bypass the Citadel's defenses like my creators did. Once there, he will transfer control of the station directly to Nazara, who will override the Citadel's systems, manually open the relay to Dark Space and the cycle of annihilation will begin anew."

"How do we stop them from succeeding?" Kate asked.

"There is a data file in my console," Vigil replied. "Take a copy of it with you to the Citadel. When you reach the master control unit, upload the file to its operating system. It will corrupt the Citadel's security protocols and grant you temporary root control of the station. This will give you a chance to defeat Nazara."

"Wait," Garrus - the member of their party most intimately familiar with the Citadel - interjected, "master control unit? I've never heard of _anything_ like that."

"The master control unit will be Saren's destination as well," Vigil replied. "Follow him through the conduit to the citadel tower and he will lead you there."

"Saddle up people," Kate ordered, "Saren has enough of a head start. Castle, download a copy of that data file and lets get back to the Mako. Move!"

"Saren has not yet reached the conduit," Vigil reported, "I will expend my emergency power reserves to erect barriers and activate the remaining internal defenses in that sector to slow his progress until you have returned to your ground vehicle. There is a one hundred percent chance that this action will result in the termination of my sentience, but if you hurry, it may buy you enough time to effect the outcome. May fortune favor your journey. End of line."

Castle hadn't believed until that very moment that a sythetic could be capable of it, but in his eyes, Vigil's willingness to sacrifice it's own sentience - to save a civilization his creators had never envisioned would replace their own - was an act of true courage. He finished downloading the file to his omni-tool, snapped to full attention and saluted Vigil's now dark, silent console.

"Semper Fi, Vigil. Rest in peace," he stated coolly, then turned on his heel and headed for the lift.

"Ooh rah," Kate whispered just before the lift jerked into motion.

Vigil's act of self-sacrifice had given them a fighting chance to stop the Reaper invasion, but now the race was on.

* * *

 _ **Author's note: Yesterday was Veteran's day. Today is election day. It is time for everyone in the United States to do their patriotic duty to go out and vote. A lot of good men and women buried beneath white marble in Arlington, France and other places in this country and around the world to both secure and defend our rights to vote.**_

 _ **Honor the fallen.**_


	16. Battle of the Citadel

**Chapter Sixteen  
Battle of the Citadel**

* * *

 _To the right, To the left, we will fight to the death!  
To the edge of the earth  
It's a brave new world, from the last to the first  
To the right, To the left we will fight to the death!  
To the edge of the earth, it's a brave new world  
It's a brave new world, it's a brave new world!  
_30 Seconds To Mars: "This Is War"

* * *

The lift powered down with a shudder as it reached their destination and the doors ground open then promptly powered down. The first thing they noticed when they reached the Mako was the disappearance of the barrier curtain that had barred their passage further into the facility.

" _Warning: unauthorized synthetic life-forms in lab sector twenty three,"_ Vigil's voice stated coldly in Prothean, _"internal defense systems activated. Warning: Ilos facility power is at ten percent and falling. Estimate complete power systems failure in fifteen minutes."_

"We have ten minutes to catch up to Saren," Kate ordered after Castle translated the message, "let's move!"

When everyone was in the Mako, she didn't wait for them to be strapped in before she gunned the engine. The chase was on.

Deeper into the archives, ahead of the geth advance, barrier curtains shimmered into being blocking entry deeper into the corridor. Before the column could react to the sudden obstacle, a series of automated turrets powered up and opened fire on the geth with phased plasma cannons and mass effect field propelled explosive munitions. Fifteen geth troopers and three armature class units were destroyed before the geth column could react and return fire.

"Have the armatures punch a hole through these defenses and get to the Conduit!" Saren ordered the nearest Prime. "The walkers will remain here to slow down Beckett while we complete the mission! Move out!"

The action was brief, no more than ten minutes before power ran dry and the turrets shut down along with the barrier curtain. Though Vigil's last stand hadn't stopped them, the dying AI had cut Saren's troop strength in half, required him to leave behind his heaviest firepower and delayed them enough to allow the Mako to close the distance.

* * *

 **The Citadel**

The Widow star cluster mass relay activated and almost immediately began disgorging geth capital ships, primarily cruisers and frigates, screening the massive bulk of the Reaper dreadnought, Nazara. The massive fleet moved into battle formation as soon as the last ships cleared the relay and deployed into the nebula on an attack vector for the Citadel.

The cruisers and frigates of the Citadel defense fleet led by the asari dreadnought Destiny Ascension along with the Turian 3rd Fleet led by the dreadnought Executor deployed and rose to meet them. The geth fleet opened fire, destroying three turian cruisers outright and inflicting heavy damage to the asari cruiser Nefrane, forcing her to withdraw.

Aboard the Destiny Ascension, Matriarch Lidanya, Commander of the Citadel Defense Fleet sat in her command chair calmly giving orders to her rapidly diminishing command.

"Activate defenses, seal the station!" she shouted as the Ascension's barriers began taking hits from the geth attack ships. The dreadnought's comm officer relayed Lidanya's orders, but her brow creased when nothing seemed to be happening.

"Systems are not responding," the comm officer reported, "the Citadel arms aren't closing."

"Abandon the Citadel," Lidanya announced calmly, "evacuate the council."

Aboard the Citadel, the comm channel from the Destiny Ascension went unheard as all of the traffic and comm officers lay dead at their stations. Saren surveyed the scene, as a Spectre he was aware of the emergency evacuation plan to transfer the Council to the Ascension. Whether the council retreated to the Citadel Fleet flagship was immaterial. FTL jumps were next to impossible in the nebula, so the Council would not be going anywhere. The geth would keep them pinned down in system and once he reached his destination the relay network would be locked out.

He motioned to the geth primes who deployed their troops to secure the citadel tower. Even at half the strength he had intended to bring, they were still more than a match for Citadel Security, especially now that he had cut them off from the network, denying them an organized defense.

* * *

 **That same moment on Ilos**

"Shore party to Normandy," Kate stated into the comm, "we're taking the Conduit to the Citadel to follow Saren. The fifth fleet should be massing for joint maneuvers in the Andura sector. Warn them that a geth attack on the Citadel is imminent."

"Understood shore party," Pressly responded, "good hunting, Normandy out."

Kate jammed the throttle forward after she saw Saren and his geth disappear into the field of the Conduit mass relay. Garrus took aim through the turret's targeting array and opened up on the geth walkers between them and the small mass relay at the center of what had once been a lab complex, but had long ago been reclaimed by nature. Those walkers that Garrus didn't knock out with the turret, Kate ignored and drove past.

"Hang on, here we go!" Kate shouted as the Mako hit the mass effect field at full throttle.

* * *

On the Normandy, Pressly turned from the command console.

"Action stations FTL!" he shouted. "Make your calculations and start the clock for FTL jump to the Andura sector!"

"Board is green, sir," Hastings reported, "ready to jump."

"Disengage IES stealth system, purge the heat sinks and execute jump," Pressly ordered.

Before the geth ships could react to the thermal bloom on their sensors, Normandy's wings retracted and she jumped away.

* * *

 **The Citadel  
Several seconds later**

The plaza surrounding the citadel tower was no longer the place of quiet contemplation it once was. Where once it had amounted to a city park it had become a twisted nightmare version of itself. Though still relatively quiet, small fires smoldered and several people who once called the station home were hoisted aloft on spikes being slowly turned into husks. The only sound to be heard over the crackling of fires and the stuttering of the nearby geth standing guard was the perversely cheerful voice of the Avina terminal avatar.

" _Unrestrained fires detected."_ Avina droned, apparently ignored by the geth nearby. _"Please begin emergency evacuation procedures."_

The conduit statue flared to life, drawing the attention of the nearby geth squad just before the relay portal opened and disgorged an M35 Mako which promptly flipped over in midair before slamming down onto the deck, crushed the geth troopers underneath it and dragged their mangled platforms for several meters.

After the armored vehicle finally slid to a stop near the elevator to the Citadel tower, the bottom emergency hatch explosive bolts fired, taking a section of hull plating with it. Captain Beckett slid out of the opening, followed by Castle, Garrus, Liara and finally Wrex who - due to his bulk - had the hardest time working his way out of the opening.

Sensing the approach of organic life-forms, Avina's damaged avatar once again sprung to life.

" _Critical failures detected across all monitored systems,"_ it droned in its perversely pleasant tone, completely incongruous to the situation at hand. _"Please begin emergency evacuation procedures. This is not a drill."_

As they approached the terminal, it was evident to all of them that the asari-like avatar was suffering multiple software glitches in both its user interface matrix.

" _The Presidium is experiencing severe system malfunctions across the entire level. All non-emergency personnel must-must-must evacuate immediately."_

"Damage report," Kate commanded as soon as she had stepped within it's range.

" _Main power is off-line on the entire l-l-l-level,"_ Avina's artificial voice replied cheerfully, _"environmental controls are not responding. Class three fires are fully involved in sectors two, three, six and seven, civilian casualties are high. I am also detecting numerous, unauthorized, synthetic life-forms throughout the station. They are believed to be actively hostile. Please approach with caution."_

"What happened to the council?" Kate asked.

" _In accordance with standard emergency protocols,"_ Avina replied, _"The Citadel Council has been evacuated to the Destiny Ascension."_

"What about Captain Anderson or Ambassador Bracken," Castle added, "what happened to them?"

" _System's Alliance Ambassador William Bracken's last reported location was the emergency shuttle bay where security camera footage recorded him boarding the transport to the Destiny Ascension along with the Citadel Council and their staff."_ Avina reported, _"I have no further information regarding the status of specific individuals. Once the current crisis has been resolved, a complete accounting of casualties and survivors will begin."_

"Do you have any information on Saren?" Kate asked, schooling her features at the mention of both Bracken's survival and the unknown status of her mentor.

" _Former Spectre Agent, Saren Arterius was last seen nearing the council chamber,"_ Avina stated. _"A warrant has been issued for his arrest, though Citadel Security is unable to respond at this time."_

"Let's go," Kate commanded, "we need to stop Saren before it's too late!"

As the group withdrew toward the elevator, Avina went back to her repeated affirmation of the necessity for evacuating the Presidium as the doors to the elevator slid open to greet them.

* * *

Saren approached the Council Chambers and shot two keepers down as he swept past - for reasons even he could not properly quantify. Sovereign's ire at them had clearly powerful enough to be imprinted onto him through the indoctrination signal. The implants he had been given had granted him not only powerful abilities, but also direct access to portions of the station even his Spectre status had been insufficient to grant him access to.

He stepped past the dais where petitioners to the council regularly stood, used his omni-tool to extend a ramp and engage a projected console suspended in front of him. A single swipe of his hand overrode the keepers and gave him direct access to all of the citadel's functions.. He sent a signal to Sovereign and issued the command to close the station's ward arms, disable access to the citadel tower and lock out all other consoles but his. He only had to wait for Sovereign to arrive to transfer direct access of the station to the massive reaper dreadnought.

* * *

The Destiny Ascension fell back from the battle line to pick up the Councilors' shuttle, and the remnants of the Citadel defense fleet and the Turian Third Fleet reformed around the Turian dreadnought Executor.

The turian grand admiral redeployed the fleet and continued the fight. The massed fire of the ships under his command gave as good as they got as they engaged the enemy. Ships on both sides were either heavily damaged or destroyed outright as the two fleets slugged it out, trading heavy weapons fire. Though the defenders threw up an impressive rate of fire, it was a fight they couldn't hope to keep up for long against geth's superior numbers. If something did not change soon, the battle of the Citadel would be their last stand.

"The Citadel's closing," the Executor's sensory officer reported. "The ward arms will be fully sealed in four minutes."

"Fleet Command to all ships," The Turian admiral stated over the guard channel. "Suppression barrage! Don't let the enemy ships inside the arms!"

The remaining fleet ships deployed to mass their fire and opened up with everything they had in a coordinated volley of fire at the oncoming geth ships screening the massive alien dreadnought.

Nazara didn't bother to slow down or even return fire as it bore down on the Executor, ramming it head on, reducing the turian dreadnought to smoking, twisted wreckage as it drove past, leaving the now leaderless fleet in it's wake as it slipped into the shelter of the citadel's ward arms flanked by a geth cruiser and three drop-ships.

The ward arms snapped closed, sealing the station into an impenetrable cocoon of near solid neutronium. Completely impervious to the increasingly one-sided battle raging outside, as the geth fleet slowly decimated the Citadel's defenders and began to move in on the Destiny Ascension.

Though Nazara was easily the largest vessel in the sector, even it was dwarfed by the internal dimensions of the closed Citadel - which would be able to accommodate an entire fleet of similar dreadnoughts with room to spare. It sailed like a dark, malevolent ghost through the empty space until it came into contact with the Citadel tower itself. The claw-like appendages at its bow closed around the tower as a four fingered hand might grip a tennis racket. Nazara transmitted a signal directly to Saren, who began the process of transferring control of the station directly to the Reaper.

Though Saren was taking longer to do so than Nazara would have preferred, it was not concerned. This sort of connection had not been attempted since the station had first been constructed many cycles ago and was a rather cumbersome affair – especially for a clumsy organic like Saren who wasn't designed for the purpose as the keepers had been. With the station sealed Nazara was secure in the knowledge that nothing could interfere. The primitive weapons of the organic fleet outside could pound on the closed ward arms for a hundred years and not be able to force their way inside. Nazara could afford to wait.

* * *

When their elevator ground to a halt only halfway up the Citadel tower and powered down, it was clear to Kate Beckett and her squad that Saren had beaten them to the Council chamber. Which left only one other option to move forward.

"Saren must have locked out the elevators," she barked. "Suit up people, we're going outside."

The five of them switched their helmets and combat hard-suits to extravehicular mode and prepared for a zero atmosphere climb up the tower. After checking each other's seals, Kate drew her pistol and shot holes in the clear exterior elevator wall, which Wrex kicked out with low chuckle.

One at a time, each of them stepped outside the elevator and allowed their mag-boots to latch onto the exterior wall of the tower, reorienting themselves in the zero-gee environment and the change in linear perspective as up and down suddenly switched places forward, back and sideways. With the exception of Liara they'd all trained for it and the mild vertigo passed after a few seconds. Once they'd had a chance to look around, it was clear what their objective would be and any doubt of the reaper's full scale was suddenly very real.

"Look at the size of that thing." Liara muttered as she took in Nazara for the first time gripped onto the end of the Citadel tower like a giant insect.

"Cut the chatter," Kate admonished, "move out!"

The chase was on.

* * *

After several running gunfights with pockets of geth and krogan along the maintenance walkways running the length of the citadel tower, they finally reached an access hatch to the atrium - through which the council had evacuated only half an hour before - and gained entry after Garrus had run a bypass on tower lockout Saren had put in place. They fought through the last pockets of geth resistance barring their path and entered the Council chamber where they could see Saren making adjustments to a console none of them had ever seen in the council chamber before.

Before they could get any closer, Saren noted their arrival, threw a grenade their way to scatter them and hurriedly shut down the console.

"I was afraid you wouldn't make it in time, Beckett," the ex-Specter taunted.

"I had to wipe out a few hundred of your followers along the way," Beckett countered, "you certainly know how to make a girl feel unwanted."

"You've lost," Saren replied. "You know that, don't you? In a few minutes Sovereign will have full control of the Citadel's systems, the relay will open and the reapers will return in force."

"I'm going to get to that console to prevent that, Saren," Kate shot back, gripping her rifle tighter in spite of herself, "and you can't stop me."

"You don't understand, Beckett," Saren implored, "There's a place for organics in the new order. The reapers need people like you and me. Sovereign recognizes your value, if you surrender to the reapers you and your crew will be spared. I represent the future, the evolution of synthetic and organic life, a union of flesh and steel. The strengths of both and the weaknesses of neither. There is a place for you in our destiny, join Sovereign and experience rebirth."

"I'd rather die!" Kate shot back angrily.

"Then you will die." Saren stated, sounding almost saddened at the prospect.

"The reapers don't use organics, Saren!" Castle shouted. "You saw the same visions I did, they devour and discard them. As soon as that relay to dark space opens, Nazara won't need you anymore. You'll be a mindless drone, cast aside and forgotten when they finish with the galaxy!"

"Yes I saw the visions!" Saren shot back, but by the tremble in his voice it was clear that his certainty was wavering. "I saw what happened to the Protheans! Saw for myself that there were no other options but surrender or death! Resistance is futile"

"Resistance is _never_ futile!" Kate shouted, keeping the pressure on as Saren's certainty continued to waver. "You were a Spectre, goddamn it! You could have resisted, you could have _fought_ , instead, you surrendered!"

"Maybe... you're right. Maybe there is... still a chance... to..." Saren stuttered before a wave of pain washed over him. "Argh! The implants... Sovereign's too strong! I am sorry, it's too late for me."

"There's still one way to stop this..." Kate shouted, trying desperately to keep his attention. Like Benezia had before, he was fighting the indoctrination, but she knew it would only last briefly before Nazara wrested control back, "... if you've got the guts!"

Saren's hand shook the entire path down to his sidearm. The very gun he had used to kill his own protege in cold blood. It shook even more as he raised the barrel and pressed it beneath his chin.

"Goodbye, Captain Beckett," He said before selecting sledgehammer rounds. "Thank you."

Saren pulled the trigger, blowing out the back of his own head. His body fell from the platform, down through the glass floor beneath, shattering it to plummet into the rock garden below. Kate only spared a moment to take in the enormity of what just occurred.

"Castle, get me control of the station," Kate ordered.

Castle bounded across the platform and rebooted the master control unit, using his omni-tool to input the file recovered from Vigil and watched as it cycled through the stations mainframe like a Trojan horse virus.

"Vigil's data file is working!" Castle exclaimed, "I have full control of the citadel... communications, security, internal defenses, you name it, I've got it!"

"Open a comm channel!" Kate ordered, noting Castle's nod of affirmation as he set to work.

" _This is the Destiny Ascension... requesting assistance!"_ The Ascension's comm officer implored over the comms. _"Main power is offline, kinetic barriers down to forty percent. We have the citadel council aboard, repeat the council is aboard!"_

"Normandy to the Citadel, Normandy to the Citadel," XO Pressly called over the same line, "Captain Beckett, do you read?"

"Shore party to Normandy, this is Beckett," Kate replied, "report."

"We caught that distress signal, Captain," Pressly reported. "Per your orders we're waiting at the Andura sector relay with the Fifth Fleet. We can save the Destiny Ascension, if you can unlock the relay the cavalry will come in with guns blazing."

Kate nodded to Castle who set to work.

"Unlocking the relays now," Kate reported, "save the Destiny Ascension and we'll work on getting the ward arms open to hit Nazara."

* * *

On board the Fifth Fleet flagship, SSV Everest, the dreadnought's tactical officer noticed the Normandy slipping into the battle line, edging closer to the front of the queue for the relay and reported it to the ship's captain, who turned to Admiral Hackett.

"Admiral, isn't there a _'seek and detain'_ order on the Normandy?" she asked.

Captain Montgomery had contacted Hackett the day before and informed him about the political maneuverings behind the Normandy's grounding. Aside from the fact that Ambassador Bracken didn't have the authority to request a foreign power detain a Systems Alliance military vessel, he'd never liked the man.

"Captain, I see a strike package preparing to launch," Hackett replied with a nod, "assign them a fighter escort and a launch mark at the tip of the spear."

To Admiral Steven Hackett, actions spoke louder than words. If Normandy's crew was willing to run to the sound of the guns, who was he to deny them? He needed every ship if the geth had actually managed to decimate two fleets representing the three most powerful races in Citadel Space.

* * *

Moments later the relay network was unlocked and Admiral Hackett gave the order to move. Several ships at a time, the five main battle groups of the Systems Alliance Fifth Fleet burst through the relay, arrayed themselves into attack formation and deployed into the nebula. The fighter carriers Issac Asimov, Stephen Hawking, and Marie Curie launched their strike fighter wings and pulled back the far side of the relay with their defensive screen of frigates and interceptors. The strike fighter squadrons formed up into wolf pack formations with their assigned frigates from the Sixty-Third scout flotilla and the Normandy to screen the Fleet's cruisers and the dreadnoughts Everest, Orizaba, and Kilimanjaro.

"Admiral Hackett to all ships," Hackett commanded over the guard channel. "Engage the geth and relieve the Destiny Ascension, I want those damned synthetics out of my sky."

* * *

Aboard the Destiny Ascension, the sensors officer adjusted her console, the asari who'd held the post before her lay dead at her feet.

"Mass relay activation, Lady Lidanya," she called out "multiple ships moving on an attack vector! They're engaging the geth!"

Matriarch Lidanya glanced up at the main screen and smiled for the first time since the battle began.

"It's the Alliance!" she breathed, "Thank the Goddess!"

* * *

At Hackett's command, the dreadnoughts Everest, Kilimanjaro and Orizaba locked targets and commenced fire - sending thirty kilogram ferrous slugs at near relativistic speeds downrange - which struck the geth cruisers with twice the force of the bombs that leveled Hiroshima and Nagasaki as the The cruisers were the next to open fire as the bulk of the Fifth Fleet bore in on their attack vectors and their own heavy guns came into range.

The remaining geth ships heeled over and returned fire almost immediately, destroying three frigates and two cruisers outright as the battle turned into a slugging match. Without dreadnoughts of their own, however, the geth were at a grave tactical disadvantage as they had nothing to match the heavy fire raining down on them and were quickly overwhelmed, though not without significant cost. Two more cruisers and another frigate were destroyed before the geth fell back away from the Destiny Ascension.

"Destiny Ascension, you are all clear," Admiral Hackett hailed over the main Citadel channel. "Repeat, you are all clear. The frigates Okinawa and Kursk will escort you from the combat zone."

"The citadel's opening!" the Everest's sensor officer reported.

"All ships," Hackett commanded, "Converge on the Citadel and concentrate all firepower on Sovereign."

* * *

"Garrus, Wrex, make sure he's dead," Kate ordered as she watched ward arms begin swinging open as the battle unfolded on the holographic monitor. She itched to be in command of her ship, to be out there where the main battle was, but this was where fate needed her to be.

Without skipping a beat, Wrex and Garrus dropped down into the rock garden. Wrex stalked over to Saren's corpse, withdrew his pistol and fired two rounds directly into Saren's forehead.

"He's dead," Garrus reported.

* * *

As the ward arms swung fully open to reveal both the Citadel Tower and Nazara as it clung to it like the petals on a flower at sunrise, it began to trade fire with the Alliance fleet with it's primary weapon, destroying four more Cruisers outright each with a single shot. The rest of the fleet continued to pour fire into Nazara's barriers as the three Alliance dreadnoughts found the range.

"Sovereign's too strong!" One of the cruiser captains called out over the guard channel. "We have to pull back!"

"Negative!" Hackett replied, "This is our only chance. Take that monster down, no matter the cost. All ships increase fire!"

* * *

Kate pulled her eyes from the monitor momentarily to see Castle and Liara conversing quietly but with great animation. Clearly discussing something important.

"Captain," Castle stated when their hushed whispers ceased, "Liara and I think we can soften up Nazara for the fleet."

"Explain," Kate ordered.

"Nazara is directly connected to the Citadel, expecting a signal from the station." Liara noted.

"And?" Kate asked.

"How about we give it one?" Castle offered. "Vigil's program was intended to disrupt the Citadel, which was created by the Reapers. Perhaps we can use it corrupt Nazara's systems the same way, at least long enough to give the fleet a few open shots at it anyway."

"It's worth a try," Kate affirmed with a nod. "Do it."

Castle checked Saren's user history on the console, found the carrier wave Nazara had provided him and sent out the modified keeper reply signal with Vigil's worm program hidden inside. The results were almost immediate. The reaper's higher functions were almost immediately corrupted. It's barriers collapsed, it released its grip on the tower and began to drift away.

* * *

"It's shields are down!" Hackett stated over the comms, "Now's our chance!"

"Mr Ryan, you have the conn." Pressly ordered. "reload tubes one through six, all silver bullets till I say otherwise. Guardian defense grid at maximum."

"Wild Cards, hard on my flank," Ryan shouted over the guard channel, "I'm going in!"

As the fighters of Wild Card Squadron formed up on Normandy's six o'clock, slaving their targeting to hers, Ryan flipped her inverted relative to the station and dove on Nazara, bringing all six of the forward tubes to bear.

"Ripple fire all forward tubes," Pressly ordered, "aft tubes fire as we bear"

Normandy's six forward torpedo tubes launched their payloads of anti-ship munitions as she dove on Nazara, followed by a volley from the fighters at her flank scoring direct hits on the reaper's superstructure, two of which punched through to detonate deep inside it's inner pressure hull. Though the damage wasn't significant, it softened Nazara up as fire from the Dreadnought Orizaba, then Everest and Kilimanjaro rained down on it.

"Hit it with everything we've got," Hackett ordered.

The cruisers moved in and opened fire, pounding the now defenseless reaper from all sides. Sovereign heeled over, began to tumble, then exploded, raining pieces of itself all over the wards and the presidium. One of its massive forward limbs tumbled on a collision course with the tip of the Citadel tower.

"Scatter!" Kate shouted, just before the massive piece of the reaper slammed into the tower.

* * *

The battle was little more than a mopping up operation after the destruction of Nazara. The reaming geth retreated to the relay in a running gunfight with the 63rd Scout Flotilla and escaped after a short skirmish with the carrier force's screening frigates and interceptors. Once the soundly beaten enemy had had fled inner council space with dispatch, attention was again turned to the heavily damaged Citadel. Nazara's wreckage had rained down on nearly all of the ward arms, though Tayseri ward and the Presidium ring seemed to have taken the worst of it. Montgomery's full attention, however fell upon the very tip of the Citadel Tower.

It was almost deathly quiet in what was left of the Council chamber. Barriers had swiftly snapped into place to reinstate atmospheric integrity, but it took time for the search party to get the massive doors that had slammed closed to cycle back open.

The garden atrium surrounding the Council chamber was nearly as silent as a tomb. The rush of air escaping into space had but out the worst of the fires that had claimed the trees in the garden, but they still smoked and smoldered as air pressure began to fully reassert itself. The massive security doors finally slid up into the ceiling, allowing a a search team and damage control party to enter the area to continue their grim search for survivors, finding mostly bodies.

The silence of the atrium soon became filled with the scraping of metal and the clatter of boots as they began to clear away the worst of the debris. They quickly stumbled upon a nearly dome shaped pile of rubble supported by a biotic barrier held in place by Liara T'soni. Within its protective dome Garrus and Wrex stood over the huddled nearly inconsolable form of Richard Castle.

But of Kate Beckett there was no sign.

"Captain Montgomery!" the young human C-Sec officer shouted, "We've found them! They're in here!"

Roy Montgomery was on the scene in short order, checking on each of them, before he laid a comforting hand on Castle's shoulder.

"Take it easy Chief, you're safe now" Montgomery said softly, before asking the question Castle had been silently dreading since the piece of Nazara hit the tower. "Where's your Captain? Where's Beckett?"

Castle locked eyes with Montgomery for only a moment, before his gaze shifted toward the twisted remains of the council chambers just up the stairs. When Montgomery's eyes followed, he saw one of Nazara's massive forelimbs half buried in the deck like a hellish piece of sculpture. The last place Castle had seen her alive.

Montgomery took in the grim, foreboding scene for a moment and was about to issue orders to the C-Sec officers to get Castle and his squad-mates to safety when the sound of creaking metal and footsteps echoed in the distance. He rose from Castle's side and put his hand out palm up in silent command where it was almost instantly filled with the grip of a pistol.

As Montgomery activated the handgun, an indistinct form could be seen moving though the wreckage until the figure was standing atop a fallen section of stone to reveal none other than Kate Beckett.

All eyes were upon her as she stepped back down onto the floor, cradling her left arm carefully, but a megawatt smile bloomed upon her face as she spied Castle and began to pick up her pace. She barely made four steps before Castle was on her, arms enfolding her carefully as their embrace lead to a kiss in the depth and heat of which caused all else in the nearly destroyed chamber to cease to exist for the two of them.

The Battle of the Citadel was over. The Reaper invasion had been thwarted.

They had won.

* * *

 _ ****Author's note** Hope you had a Happy Thanksgiving! Epilogue for Act I coming soon!  
**_


	17. Epilogue

**Chapter Seventeen**

 **Epilogue**

* * *

" _Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few."  
_ Winston Churchill 20 August 1940

* * *

With the battle over and the remaining geth forces driven off or destroyed, the Alliance Fifth Fleet turned its focus to securing the Citadel and an assessment of losses. The cruisers Cairo, Cape Town, Emden, Jakarta, Madrid, Seoul, Shenyang, and Warsaw and the frigates Stalingrad, Thermopylae and Leyte Gulf were lost with all hands - either destroyed outright by Nazara's powerful main gun, or reduced to smoking wrecks during the knife-fight range slugging match with the geth before that. The heavy cruisers Saratoga and Belgrade each suffered heavy damage and fifteen fighters were lost. In all, Alliance losses stood at three thousand six hundred souls. The single most costly space battle in Alliance military history. Of significant note, Admiral Hackett had personally recommended the crew of SSV Shenyang for a posthumous unit citation and her Captain for the medal of honor after Captain Pike had interjected the Shenyang between Everest and Nazara's main gun.

There were enough escape pods scattered in the nebula for one to get out and walk on them and it would take months to collect all of the flashing Alliance tags, but the Fifth Fleet would not leave the Widow System until each and every tag was found and recovered. During which time they would take up station as the primary Citadel defense force until the Council Races could rebuild the Citadel Fleet.

But for the Destiny Ascension and the Asari cruiser Nefrane – each of which had suffered heavy damage and would be spending the next two years in dry-dock on Thessia - both the Citadel fleet and the Turian Third Fleets were utterly destroyed with losses in the thousands, civilian casualties on the Presidium and the Wards were estimated at nearly fifteen thousand.

The Third fleet arrived later that morning, along with the hospital ships Solace, Clara Barton, and Florence Nightingale to tend to the wounded and provide humanitarian aid to the Citadel as work began to clear the space lanes. The hulks of Alliance vessels still intact enough to be rebuilt were pulled into a more stable orbit of the station as to not be a hazard to navigation until a salvage vessel could be dispatched. The rest were searched thoroughly for remains then destroyed in place with full martial fanfare.

* * *

As rescue and recovery operations began in earnest, a shuttle docked with the Everest, carryingg Systems Alliance Ambassador William Bracken, who was met in the docking bay Admiral Hackett. Bracken wasted little time.

"I want Captains Montgomery and Beckett placed under arrest, for assault, treason and insubordination." Bracken growled dangerously.

"Excuse me?" Hackett replied, leveling a glare at the Ambassador. "Arrest them? I plan to pin commendations on their chests tomorrow."

"They defied orders," Bracken snapped. "stole an Alliance warship and could have damn near started a war with the Terminus Systems!"

"Whose orders were broken?" Hackett replied, unimpressed. "I don't recall you ever holding a commission in the Alliance Navy. As for _theft,_ the last time I checked, Captain Beckett is SSV Normandy's commanding officer of record. The way I see it, a civilian ambassador requested an Alliance warship be illegally detained by a foreign government. Captains Beckett and Montgomery were not only within their rights to prevent an Alliance Frigate from being seized by a foreign power they were _obligated_ to do so."

"But..." Bracken began, but Hackett cut him off with another glare.

"Captain Beckett took a hot crew of human and alien fire-pissers, exercised her personal initiative as a Spectre and _kicked ass_ , Ambassador. Now if you're done throwing baseless accusations around I suggest you get the hell off my ship."

Bracken opened his mouth and closed it again without saying another word. He'd overplayed his hand and jumped too quickly to curry favor with the Council and he'd been in politics long enough to know he was not in a position of power here. A tactical retreat was in order, but he'd bide his time.

* * *

 **The Next Day**

Captain Beckett, Captain Montgomery and the newly promoted First Lieutenant Castle were standing at attention in their dress blues, flanked by a silently fuming William Bracken in one of the few relatively undamaged sections of the Presidium as the Citadel Council entered and brought the proceedings to order.

"Ambassador, Captain Montgomery, Captain Beckett, Lieutenant Castle," Asari Councilor Tevos stated regally, "we have gathered here to recognize the enormous contribution of Alliance Forces in the battle with Nazara and the Geth."

"Many humans gave their lives in the battle to save the Citadel," Salarian Councilor Valern added. "Brave and courageous soldiers who willingly sacrificed their lives so that we – The Council – might live."

"There is no greater sacrifice," Councilor Sparatus added, genuinely moved, his respect for humanity had grown in the last twenty-four hours. "We share your grief at the tragic loss of so many noble men and women. A monument shall be erected on this spot in the Presidium dedicated to their sacrifice."

After the applause had died down, Councilor Tevos raised a hand to signal that she had something more to add.

"The Council also owes you a great personal debt, Captain Beckett," She began, "one we can never repay. You saved not just our lives, but the but the lives of _billions_ from the Reapers. Your heroic and selfless actions serve as a symbol of everything humanity and the Alliance stand for. To paraphrase one of Earth's historic leaders, never was so much owed by so many to so few."

"Humanity has shown that it is ready to stand as a protector and defender of the galaxy," Sparatus stated, not knowing he was parroting the words used when the Turians gained a council seat nearly a thousand years before. "You have proven you are worthy to join our ranks and serve beside us on the Citadel Council."

"On behalf of humanity and the Terran Systems Alliance," Bracken replied, his mind spinning with possibilities, his ambitions unabated, "we thank you for this prestigious offer and humbly accept."

"We will need a list of potential candidates to fill humanity's seat," Valern added, "given your contribution to recent events, I am sure your recommendation will carry a great deal of weight. Do you have a particular candidate in mind?"

Kate thought about it for a minute. She could practically feel Bracken's breathing on her neck. It was clear he wanted the job... a little too much. He'd proven himself a little too political, a little too ambitious to be trusted with the job. She only had one name in her head that she thought was right for the job.

"We need someone with the courage to stand up for what he believes in, not just what's expedient. Who taught me that we are bound by our choices, but we are more than our mistakes. I nominate Captain Roy Montgomery."

" _Him?_ " Bracken choked out. "You must be joking! Montgomery prefers to let his fists do the talking, not diplomacy!"

"Only with you, Ambassador," Montgomery quipped, though his eyes held a dangerous edge, "only with you."

"Are you sure about this Beckett?" Bracken hedged. "Montgomery's a soldier, not a politician."

"We have too many _politicians_ on the citadel," Kate replied as her eyes swept over the Council who had used politics and expediency to hide from the true threat posed by Saren and Nazara. "Captain Montgomery would be perfect for the job."

"An inspired choice," Tevos replied, ignoring Kate's mild jab at them, one which she realized they richly deserved. "The Council will welcome him with open arms should he accept."

"I would be honored," Montgomery replied. "As humanity's representative, I'll do everything in my power to help rebuild."

"Nazara was only the vanguard," Kate stated flatly, "There are hundreds, maybe thousands of Reapers still out there in dark space. Castle, my crew and I are going to find some way to stop them."

"Captain Beckett is right," Montgomery asserted, "When the reapers come back we must stand side by side and fight them as one. Together we will drive them back into dark space!"

The small ceremony broke up shortly afterward. There were several more both on the Citadel and back in Alliance space, though nobody noticed after much of the fanfare that Castle and Beckett had quietly made themselves scarce.

The Normandy was due for several months of repairs and upgrades before they could take her out again and though the press clamored for their appearance they had disappeared. Had they known of Castle's other life as an author, they might have gone looking in a small house in an upper class neighborhood on Elysium for some shore leave of their own.

* * *

 **End of Act One.**

 **Coming soon! Act II: Captain Beckett, Cerberus Spectre**


End file.
